arXiv:2502.10547cs.RO2025-02

开源3D打印平台让柔性机器人快速成型,可自走离床。

A standardised platform for translational advances in fluidic soft systems

  • 用倒置打印法扩展柔性机器人几何形状的可打印范围
  • 打印后机器人能立即自主行走,实现制造即运行
  • 低成本开源平台降低研究门槛,助力柔性机器人普及

软体机器人有望带来重大实际影响,其中流体控制的软体机器人已实现商业化,利用‘柔软性’提升人机交互或处理易损物体。然而,从实验室到规模化应用仍面临原型制作与超柔性材料制造困难,以及缺乏标准化设计流程的挑战。本文展示,基于开源、低成本的FDM技术的Flex Printer平台,可稳定打印嵌入流体逻辑的超柔性软体机器人。通过创新的倒置打印方式,显著拓展了可打印结构的范围。实验表明,机器人在打印完成后可立即自主离床行走,是软体机器人领域的重要里程碑。该工作为标准化和规模化制造奠定基础,有助于加速该领域的实际应用。更广泛地,该平台降低了研究门槛,有望推动软体机器人研究的民主化,并促进新应用的发展。我们呼吁社区共同参与该技术的共建,以驱动软体机器人新一轮突破。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Soft machines are poised to deliver significant real-world impact, with soft robotics emerging as a key sub-discipline. This field integrates biological inspiration, materials science, and embodied intelligence to create bio-robotic hybrids, blurring the boundary between engineered systems and biology. Over the past 15 years, research in fluidically controlled soft robots has led to commercialised systems that leverage "softness" to improve human-machine interaction or to handle delicate objects. However, translating laboratory advancements into scalable applications remains challenging due to difficulties in prototyping and manufacturing ultra-flexible materials, as well as the absence of standardised design processes. Here we show that the Flex Printer, an open-source, low-cost FDM platform, enables reliable printing of ultra-flexible soft robots with embedded fluidic logic. By employing an innovative upside-down print orientation, the system significantly expands the range of printable geometries. We demonstrate how this approach allows robots to autonomously walk off the print bed immediately after fabrication - a milestone achievement in soft robotics. This work provides a foundation for standardisation and scalable manufacturing, critical for accelerating the field's impact. More broadly, by lowering barriers to entry, this platform has the potential to democratise soft robotics research and facilitate the development of new applications. We invite the community to contribute to the shared development of this technology to drive the next wave of breakthroughs in soft robotics.

软体机器人3D打印流体控制开源硬件

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