Design, Characterization, and Implementation of a Two-DOF Fabric-Based Soft Robotic Arm

Traditional rigid robotic arms have been widely used in various industries. They own the merits of high force output, precise control, and high efficiency. However, a rigid robotic arm is seldom used by people in daily life, as the cost is usually high and, most importantly, its rigidity, large weight, and noncompliance can cause safety concerns when it comes to human–robot interaction. Therefore, we want to build a robotic arm that is cheap, lightweight, and provides safe interaction with humans. This soft inflatable robotic arm, which is made from low-cost fabrics and flexible plastics, is a promising solution for a domestic robotic arm. The softness and natural compliance can guarantee safe interaction with people. In this letter, we present our soft robotic arm (SRA) made from nylon fabric. The SRA contains two joints that can bend the arm vertically and horizontally, and a gripper as an end-effector that can pick up objects of different shapes and sizes. The SRA has the advantages of low cost, good portability, and adequate force output. We characterized the bending modality and force output and demonstrated the functionality of the SRA in object manipulation. This fabric-based soft robotic arm is promising for use in assisting people's daily activities, for example, mounting on a wheelchair to enable a wheelchair bound person to reach objects from a distance.