Bioengineers develop air-powered computer memory to control soft robots

Using the new system, the researchers were successful in making a pair of 3D printed soft robotic hands play notes, chords, and even a whole song on a piano.

A team of bioengineers at the University of California - Riverside claim to have developed an air-powered computer memory that can be used to control the movements of soft robots, overcoming one of the biggest barriers to advancing soft robotics- the fundamental mismatch between pneumatics and electronics.

The team led by bioengineering doctoral student Shane Hoang, his advisor, bioengineering professor William Grover, computer science professor Philip Brisk, and mechanical engineering professor Konstantinos Karydis developed a pneumatic RAM chip to help soft robots control their movements.

While existing systems for controlling pneumatic soft robots still use electronic valves and computers to maintain the position of the robot's moving parts, the researchers made their pneumatic RAM using microfluidic valves instead of electronic transistors that have the ability to control the flow of air.

According to the researchers, the valves remain sealed against a pressure differential even when disconnected from an air supply line, creating trapped pressure differentials that function as memories and maintain the states of a robot's actuators. Dense arrays of these valves can perform advanced operations and reduce the expensive, bulky, and power-consuming electronic hardware typically used to control pneumatic robots.

The team developed an 8-bit pneumatic RAM chip by modifying the microfluidic valves to handle larger air flow rates and incorporated it into a pair of 3D-printed rubber hands. The pneumatic RAM uses atmospheric-pressure air to represent a "0" or FALSE value, and vacuum to represent a "1" or TRUE value. The soft robotic fingers are extended when connected to atmospheric pressure and contracted when connected to the vacuum.

Using the new system, the researchers were successful in making a pair of 3D printed soft robotic hands play notes, chords, and even a whole song on a piano.

Robots using this technology would be especially safe for delicate use on or around humans, such as wearable devices for infants with motor impairments, the researchers noted.

The work is published in the open-access journal, PLOS One. For more information, head over to UC Riverside's official website.