A new deformable pump for soft robots consists of a silicone tube with coils of wire—known as solenoids—spaced around its exterior. Inside the tube is a solid core magnet that moves back and forth, much like a floating piston, to push fluids forward with continuous force. Credit: Cornell

 Thanks to efforts from researchers at Cornell University and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, soft robots will behave in a more lifelike way. Soft robots are machines created from pliant components rather than intractable materials. The researchers have created a deformable pump to power them. The malleable pump functions as a more energy-efficient “heart” than previous pumps made from inflexible materials.

Rob Shepherd spearheaded the team from Cornell University. His Organic Robotics Lab has experimented with the application of flexible materials in many different situations. He explains that the deformable pumps function similarly to human hearts. As a result, the new deformable pumps provide robots with a circulatory system. Used in conjunction with robot blood, the pumps will cause soft robots to behave in a more natural, human-like fashion.

The deformable pump is powered by a core magnet housed in a tube made of stretchable polymers. The tube is filled with a fluid that reacts to the presence of the magnetic field. When the magnetic field is activated, the fluid congeals. Alternating the fluid between solid and liquid states causes the “heart” to contract and propel liquids throughout the body of the soft robot.

Shepherd explains that liquids are cycled by the new pumps at 100 times the rate of past soft pumps. Despite this breakthrough, however, he admits there are obstacles to overcome. The performance of the new deformable pumps, for instance, is lower than that of hard pumps. Because of that, researchers have not been able to push through thick liquids at high rates.

Researchers also used the new soft pump in an experiment to be used as a point of reference when building future models with different dimensions. This will let researchers custom make soft pumps for robots of varying sizes.

Information provided by Cornell University.

Laboratory Equipment is powered by Labcompare, the Buyer's Guide for Laboratory Professionals.