Soft actuators and their applications in soft robotics

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bachelor_Vo_Bao_2025.pdf (1.43 MB)

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School of Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's thesis
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Date

2025-12-19

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Chemical Engineering

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Degree programme

Aalto Bachelor's Programme in Science and Technology
Aalto Bachelor's Programme in Science and Technology
Aalto Bachelor's Programme in Science and Technology

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en

Pages

33

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Abstract

Traditional robots excel at performing preprogrammed tasks in controlled environments, making them highly relevant to human life. However, their rigid construction limits their ability to perform complex actions in foreign environments. To overcome the shortcomings of traditional robots, researchers have designed soft robots inspired by the adaptive, complex movements of living organisms in their environments. Soft robots are fabricated from soft, flexible materials, granting them a high degree of freedom and the ability to conform and adapt to changes in their surroundings. Actuation mechanisms are key to the operation of robots, in which external energy is converted into stress and strain that generate robot motion. In contrast to hard actuation, which relies on engines to power rigid-joint motion, the actuation mechanisms of soft robots are embedded within the materials themselves Polymer materials can undergo high levels of reversible deformation, making them suitable for soft actuation, especially when combined with stimulus-responsive components such as magnets and photoswitches. This thesis is a literature review that aims to cover the basic mechanisms of polymer materials actuation. These mechanisms illustrate how various energy sources, such as heat, light, and electricity, actuate polymer materials. Finally, this review provides a survey of recent advancements in soft-actuated robots in many potential fields. These examples include a fish-like locomotion robot, a wearable exoskeleton glove, and a heart-assistive device.

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Supervisor

Hummel, Michael

Thesis advisor

Hasheminejad, Kourosh

Keywords

actuation, elastomer, polymer, shape-memory polymer

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202512309717

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[kand] Kemian tekniikan korkeakoulu / CHEM