Development of Bundled Tube Actuators

• Project/Area Number: 17K06253
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Intelligent mechanics/Mechanical systems
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology (2019); Osaka University (2017-2018)
• Principal Investigator: Takayama Toshio 東京工業大学, 工学院, 准教授 (80376954)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小俣 透 東京工業大学, 工学院, 教授 (10262312)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
• Keywords: ソフトアクチュエータ / 管内移動ロボット / ソフトロボット / 空気圧駆動 / ソフトロボティクス / 空気圧人工筋

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research, we developed some soft actuators that consist of bundled silicone rubber tubes. The tubes are inflated and deflated periodically by an air pressure to generate waving motion. The in-pipe propulsion device made by helically bundled three tubes was theoretically analyzed its deformation of the body. It can be used to design the parameter of the device so that it can be used in a target pipe to move. Moreover, we developed a control method of 6-braided tubes in-pipe mobile device that can select the progress direction at the branched pipe. A device that has a rod in a cylindrically bundled tubes can drive its rod to the axis and rotational direction. It can drive an endoscope for medical use. Moreover, a plane knitted device can move or carry an object on it to two directions on a plane surface.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ソフトアクチュエータは軽量で高い柔軟性性を持ち，パワーアシスト装置やリハビリ装置等の人間に働きかける装置への応用が期待される．一方で空気圧を用いたゴムの伸縮を利用するため，繰り返し使用すると壊れやすく，安価で大量生産が可能であることが求められる．本研究では複数本のシリコーンゴムチューブを周期的に配置し，順に加減圧することで駆動するソフトアクチュエータを提案し，管内推進装置，１軸２自由度アクチュエータ，面状２自由度アクチュエータ等を開発した．

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Co-axial Linear-Rotary Actuator with Braided McKibben Artificial Muscles (2020)
  • Author(s): 竹島 啓純, 辻 賢一郎, 高山 俊男
  • Journal Title: Journal of the Robotics Society of Japan Volume: 38 Issue: 2 Pages: 185-191
  • DOI: 10.7210/jrsj.38.185
  • NAID: 130007809809
  • ISSN: 0289-1824, 1884-7145
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Development of a steerable in-pipe locomotive device with six braided tubes (2018)
  • Author(s): Hirozumi Takeshima and Toshio Takayama
  • Journal Title: ROBOMECH Journal Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 31-31
  • DOI: 10.1186/s40648-018-0127-5
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Geometric Estimation of the Deformation and the Design Method for Developing Helical Bundled-tube Locomotive Devices (2018)
  • Author(s): Hirozumi Takeshima and Toshio Takayama
  • Journal Title: IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Pages: 223-232
  • DOI: 10.1109/tmech.2017.2770140
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] カメラ搭載型六つ編み型多重チューブ推進機構 (2019)
  • Author(s): 竹島啓純，高山俊男
  • Organizer: 日本機械学会ロボティクス・メカトロニクス講演会’19
• [Presentation] 平面編みチューブ式２自由度アクチュエータの軸糸とチューブの干渉を避ける編み方 (2019)
  • Author(s): 高山俊男，種田宇志
  • Organizer: 第20回システムインテグレーション部門講演会（SI2019）
• [Presentation] Bundled tube locomotive device: the first idea came from the movement of a microorganism (2019)
  • Author(s): Toshio Takayama
  • Organizer: IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics Workshop on "Towards Soft Robotics for Biomimetics and Applications: Emerging Sensors
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 高いコンプライアンス性を示す多重チューブ直動ソフトアクチュエータ (2018)
  • Author(s): 竹島啓純，高山俊男
  • Organizer: 日本機械学会ロボティクス・メカトロニクス講演会’18
• [Presentation] 平面編みチューブ式ソフトロボットの開発 (2017)
  • Author(s): 種田宇志，高山俊男
  • Organizer: 第35回日本ロボット学会学術講演会
• [Remarks] 高山研究室研究紹介（柔らかい機構）
  • URL: http://www.takayamalab.mech.e.titech.ac.jp/research/research_soft.html