Week 11: Soft Robotics

Sources:

• https://softroboticstoolkit.com/
• https://softroboticstoolkit.com/resources-for-educators/pneuwrist-brace

Materials:

• Elastic cord
• Fabric scissors
• Hand pump
• Heat-weldable fabric
• Iron
• Parchment paper
• Tubing
• Cutter plotter

Software:

• Rhinoceros

• I opened the pdf file with Rhinoceros, to process the image and adapt it to my wrist:
  1. Mirror tool to have 2 images of the wrist band, the front and the back.
  2. Scale to adapt it to the measurements.

• Cut with the plotter
• Cut with the scissors the parchment paper, to create between the two sheets of heat-weldable fabric the space to be inflated.

• Align the 2 sheets of fabric with the paper inside and I used the iron:
  • 17 seconds
  • 165º

Tip: Maybe because the parameters are for fixing this type of vinyl to a fabric, the temperature was to high, and the pieces were damaged. I repeated all the process but I adjusted the temperature for 155º, and it was much better.

Finally I put the cord to close the band and the cord-lock, and I fix the tube using a zip tie, as tight i could to avoid the escape of the inflated air.