The Soft Compiler: A Web-Based Tool for the Design of Modular Pneumatic Circuits for Soft Robots

Developing soft circuits from individual soft logic gates poses a unique challenge: with increasing numbers of logic gates, the design and implementation of circuits leads to inefficiencies due to mathematically unoptimized circuits and wiring mistakes during assembly. It is therefore practically important to introduce design tools that support the development of soft circuits. We developed a web-based graphical user interface, the Soft Compiler, that accepts a user-defined robot behavior as a truth table to generate a mathematically optimized circuit diagram that guides the assembly of a soft fluidic circuit. We describe the design and experimental verification of three soft circuits of increasing complexity, using the Soft Compiler as a design tool and a novel pneumatic glove as an input interface. In one example, we reduce the size of a soft circuit from the original 11 logic gates to 4 logic gates while maintaining circuit functionality. The Soft Compiler is a web-based design tool for fluidic, soft circuits and published under open-source MIT License.

Soft Robots for Extreme Environments: Removing Electronic Control

The ignition of flammable liquids and gases in offshore oil and gas environments is a major risk and can cause loss of life, serious injury, and significant damage to infrastructure. Power supplies that are used to provide regulated voltages to drive motors, relays, and power electronic controls can produce heat and cause sparks. As a result, the European Union requires ATEX certification on electrical equipment to ensure safety in such extreme environments. Implementing designs that meet this standard is time-consuming and adds to the cost of operations. Soft robots are often made with soft materials and can be actuated pneumatically, without electronics, making these systems inherently compliant with this directive. In this paper, we aim to increase the capability of new soft robotic systems moving from a one-to-one control-actuator architecture and implementing an electronics-free control system. We have developed a robot that demonstrates locomotion and gripping using three-pneumatic lines: a vacuum power line, a control input, and a clock line. We have followed the design principles of digital electronics and demonstrated an integrated fluidic circuit with eleven, fully integrated fluidic switches and six actuators. We have realized the basic building blocks of logical operation into combinational logic and memory using our fluidic switches to create a two-state automata machine. This system expands on the state of the art increasing the complexity over existing soft systems with integrated control.