Wildcard
Individual Assignment
✔️ Design and produce something with a digital fabrication process (incorporating computer-aided design and manufacturing) not covered in another assignment, documenting the requirements that your assignment meets, and including everything necessary to reproduce it. Possibilities include (but are not limited to):
- AR and VR
- Composites
- Electrical Discharge Machining
- Embroidery
- Inflatables and Soft Robotics
- Large Format Cutting, Folding, Creasing, Drawing, or Whatever You Can Think About
- Sheet Metal and Welding
- Waterjet Cutting
Alive Soft Silicon
This week I wanted to make a shape-shifting inflatable soft robot, so I chose the Inflatables and Soft Robotics group. Below is the final result.
Learning Workshop at Mars Lab
I went to the tutorial session on Friday from 3-5 pm upstairs in the Mars Lab, and learned basic machine sewing, pattern design and cutting.
Sewing machine
Thread a needle
Sewing
Instead of creating just a inflatable, I decided to combine casted silicon and fabrics to create soft robotic that can transform with the power of air. Because silicone can stretch, but fabric can't, it can achieve one-way bending. Thus the bending direction can be controlled by where to attach the fabric. I checked this video for the workflow demo:
Process
1. Mold Design & Printing
2. Casting the Silicon
3. Add Fabrics and Cure Again
4. Pump Air with a Rubber Blower
5. Air Pipe
It can be seen that the bending has been tested successfully, but the upper side will leak and be unstable, so I went to cast a section of protrusion to connect the air pipe, so that I can obtain a stable inflation and deflation process.
