Design of a Knitting Thin McKibben Muscle

摘要

Pneumatic muscles (PAMs) have garnered widespread utilization in an array of applications, including rehabilitation robots, humanoid robots, and soft robots, owing to their favorable attributes of being lightweight, flexible, and environmentally friendly. Nevertheless, the conventional pneumatic muscles, characterized by their relatively large diameters spanning from 10mm to 40mm, present challenges when employed in narrow spaces requiring dense installations. To effectively address these limitations, we present a novel approach involving the development of thin McKibben muscles, significantly reducing the diameter to a mere 2.7mm, and arranging them into bundles using a unique weaving method. The resulting fabric-type actuator exhibits remarkable flexibility and emulates the structural characteristics of human muscles, rendering it highly suitable for integration into wearable robots and other soft robotic systems. This paper comprehensively outlines the design and manufacturing methods employed for knitting the thin McKibben muscles, offering detailed insights into the fabrication process. Additionally, extensive experimental validation has been conducted, confirming that the knitted muscles boast a substantially larger contraction ratio in comparison to their non-knitted counterparts. Consequently, the knitting muscles emerge as more viable and efficient actuators, particularly for rehabilitation devices. This research marks a significant step forward in creating sophisticated soft actuators, with implications extending to diverse fields such as healthcare, assistive technologies, and industrial automation.