VACM: a 3D-printed High Performance Vacuum-actuated Origami Soft Actuator

Soft robotics offer significant advantages over traditional rigid robots, including flexibility, enhanced compliance, greater adaptability, and safer interaction with humans. These features make soft robotics actuation vary similar to biomimetic muscles. This research focuses on developing origami-inspired Pneumatic Artificial Muscle (PAM) as the bicep and the tricep. The muscle design is based on the Kresling origami pattern and is fabricated using additive manufacturing with TPU filament (shore hardness 85A). Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations were conducted on the origami-inspired PAM to optimize the design parameters of the Kresling pattern for improved performance. It is actuated by vacuum, contracting under negative pressure and capable of lifting up to 3 kg. The results of this study suggest that pneumatic soft robotic actuators are well-suited to function as antagonistic muscle systems. Future work will focus on applying this design to wearable exoskeletons, lightweight robotics, and other related fields.