SOFT BIDIRECTIONAL BENDING ACTUATOR BASED ON MAGNETORHOGICAL FLUIDS

The goal of this project is to design and fabricate a bidirectional bending actuator for soft robotics applications. The actuation principle will be based on magnetorheological fluids (MRFs). MRFs are smart materials consisting of micro-meter-sized particles dispersed in oil. The application of a magnetic field leads to the alignment of the particles in parallel with the field, altering the fluid's viscosity. This property will be used in magnetorheological valves, which will control the fluidic actuation.