• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2021

Soft robot research has been actively conducted due to the advantages of soft materials that have less motion restrictions and higher energy efficiency compared to rigid robots. In particular, soft robots are being applied in more and more diverse fields, and the need for soft robots is increasing, especially when dealing with soft or deformable objects that rigid robots cannot perform. Various soft robots are being developed, and studies on artificial muscles with versatility, seamless integration with sensing, and self-healing capabilities are being proposed. In this study, we propose one of the most simple rectangular shaped HASEL (Hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic) actuators and compare the performance according to shape deformation such as the size or ratio of actuators and electrodes. Developing these actuators can be used in many ways for artificial muscles in soft robotics.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.39-44
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• 2024

This study introduces a novel method for predicting the shape of soft catheter robots embedded with electromagnets. As an advancement in the realm of soft robotics, these catheter robots are crafted from flexible and pliable materials, ensuring enhanced safety and adaptability during interactions with human tissues. Given the pivotal role of catheters in minimally invasive surgeries (MIS), our design stands out by facilitating active control over the orientation and intensity of the inbuilt electromagnets. This ensures precise targeting and manipulation of the catheter segments. The research encompasses a comprehensive breakdown of the magnetic modeling, tracking algorithms, experimental layout, and analytical techniques. Both simulation and experimental results validate the efficacy of our method, underscoring its potential to augment accuracy in MIS and revolutionize healthcare-oriented soft robotics.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.531-537
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• 2015

Hand function is one of the essential functions required to perform the activities of daily living, and wearable robots that assist or recover hand functions have been consistently developed. Previously, wearable robots commonly employed conventional robotic technology such as linkage which consists of rigid links and pin joints. Recently, as the interest in soft robotics has increased, many attempts to develop a wearable robot with a soft structure have been made and are in progress in order to reduce size and weight. This paper presents the concept of a soft wearable robot composed of a soft structure by comparing it with conventional wearable robots. After that, currently developed soft wearable robots and related issues are introduced.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.263-269
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• 2017

Recently, soft robots using soft materials are presented. Thanks to soft materials, soft robots have flexible, highly-stretchable or adaptable features. However, due to the flexibility of soft material, it is hard for soft robots to control accurately or perform high force. To deal with these limitations, variable stiffness technology, which enables the stiffness control of structure, has been developed. In this research, a dual-stiffness structure that is actuated by the assembly of two flexible structures are presented. Each flexible structure consists of flexible film part and rigid parts placed at regular intervals. The flexibility of film between rigid parts allows each structure to move softly. On the other hand, by combining two structures rigid part of each part constrain the degrees of freedom of the other side part. And this causes the stiffness of whole structure to be increased. This paper will cover concepts, design, analysis and experiments of this structure.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.401-415
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• 2021

Soft robots are promising devices for applications in drug delivery, sensing, and manufacturing. Traditional hard robotics are manufactured with rigid materials and their degrees of motion are constrained by the orientation of the joints. In contrast to rigid counterpart, soft robotics, employing soft and stretchable materials that easily deforms in shape, can realize complex motions (i.e., locomotion, swimming, and grappling) with a simple structure, and easily adapt to dynamic environment. Among them, the magnetic actuators exhibit unique characteristics such as rapid and accurate motion control, biocompatibility, and facile remote controllability, which make them promising candidates for the next-generation soft robots. Especially, the magnetic actuators instantly response to the stimuli, and show no-hysteresis during the recovery process, essential for continuous motion control. Here, we present the state-of-the-art fabrication process of magnetically controllable nano-/micro-composites, magnetically aligning process of the composites, and 1-dimensional/multi-dimensional multimodal motion control for the nextgeneration soft actuators.

• Composites Research
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.378-393
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• 2022

As an emerging power generation technology, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have received increasing attention due to their boundless promise in energy harvesting and self-powered sensing applications. The recent rise of soft robotics has sparked widespread enthusiasm for developing flexible and soft sensors and actuators. TENGs have been regarded as promising power sources for driving actuators and self-powered sensors, providing a unique approach for the development of soft robots with soft sensors and actuators. In this review, TENG-based soft robots with different morphologies and different functions are introduced. Among them, the design of biomimetic soft robots that imitate the structure, surface morphology, material properties, and sensing/generating mechanisms of nature has greatly benefited in improving the performance of TENGs. In addition, various bionic soft robots have been well improved compared to previous driving methods due to the simple structure, self-powering characteristics, and tunable output of TENGs. Furthermore, we provide a comprehensive review of various studies within specific areas of TENG-enabled soft robotics applications. We first explore various recently developed TENG-based soft robots and a comparative analysis of various device structures, surface morphologies, and nature-inspired materials, and the resulting improvements in TENG performance. Various ubiquitous sensing principles and generation mechanisms used in nature and their analogous artificial TENG designs are demonstrated. Finally, biomimetic applications of TENG enabled in tactile displays as well as in wearable devices, artificial electronic skin and other devices are discussed. System designs, challenges and prospects of TENGs-based sensing and actuation devices in the practical application of soft robotics are analyzed.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2021

As the robot industry develops, industrial automation uses industrial robots in many parts of the manufacturing industry. However, rigidity-based conventional robots have a disadvantage in that they are challenging to use in environments where they grab fragile objects or interact with people because of their high rigidity. Therefore, researches on soft robot have been actively conducted. The soft robot can hold or manipulate fragile objects by using its compliance and has high safety even in an atypical environment with human interaction. However, these advantages are difficult to use in dynamic situations and control by the material's nonlinear behavior. However, for the soft robot to be used in the industry, control is essential. Therefore, in this paper, real-time PD control is applied, and the behavior of the soft actuator is analyzed by providing various waveforms as inputs. Also, Iterative learning control (ILC) is applied to reduce errors and select an ILC type suitable for soft actuators.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.347-356
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• 2023

Liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) fibers have been widely applied in various fields, such as soft robots and biomimetic actuators, in a one-dimensional form. LCEs possess the characteristics of both fluidity and solid order, as well as the elasticity of rubber, and exhibit stimulus-response based on these properties. In particular, by programming the responsiveness to various stimuli such as heat, light, electric fields, and magnetic fields in terms of shape-changing, various movements such as lifting, twisting, and rotating can be realized with high degrees of freedom. Therefore, LCE fibers have the potential for application in various fields such as artificial muscles, soft robots, wearable technologies, and sensing technologies. The research on liquid crystal elastomer fibers is evaluated to have high applicability in various fields in the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a smart material that can include various functionalities beyond simple fibers. In this review, we introduce the structure and basic characteristics of liquid crystal elastomer fibers, the latest research trends on orientation-based fabrication methods, and various applications such as artificial muscles, smart fabrics, and soft robots.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
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• 2003.07c
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• pp.2717-2720
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• 2003

A mathematical framework for deriving acceleration bounds from given joint torque limits of two cooperating robots are described in this paper. Especially when the torque limits are given in 2-norm, the resultant geometrical configuration is ellipsoid(the ellipsoid is often called manipulability ellipsoid in many works). At first, the mathematical derivation starts from the dynamics of both object and robots as well as the kinematics of the robots, and is finally arranged in a form of equation relating joint torques to object acceleration through a complete constraint contact(or “very-soft contact”). To show the usefulness of the proposed method, two examples are included, and especially the case where friction effects the ellipsoid shape is also considered In the example.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.2693-2695
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• 2003

Recent advancement in technology raises fundamental questions: "what is right technology for human?", "how can we build machines for human welfare?" Interactive technology and soft engineering deals with these problems. Personal robotics for the elderly seems to be a major area in which to explore these ideas. We can start by asking "what are inhumane human conditions to be resolved by technology?" Issues lain robotics for the elderly are described and desirable roles for the robots in such applications are presented. Interdisciplinary science approach is proposed to successfully implement this technology for the elderly.