A Polynomial-Based Framework for Understanding Hysteresis in Pneumatic Muscle Actuators

The study focuses on the Pneumatic Muscle Actuator (PMA), widely used in robotics. The PMA operates by converting pneumatic pressure into linear motion through an inflatable bladder surrounded by a braided mesh. A key challenge is the hysteresis problem, characterized by a nonlinear relationship between pressure and length during inflation and deflation to investigate the PMA’s performance under varying pressures, an experimental setup emerged, incorporating a pressure sensor, an ultrasonic sensor for displacement measurement, and an Arduino Mega for data collection. The gathered data revealed the PMA’s dynamic responsiveness and allowed for the modeling of hysteresis using a polynomial equation. This polynomial model found application in MATLAB to simulate the PMA’s behavior and assess its accuracy by minimizing the error between simulated and experimental data. The findings indicated that the model effectively captures the hysteresis phenomena, making it suitable for applications requiring precise PMA control, thereby enhancing the efficiency and reliability of PMA-based systems.