3D printed sensorized soft robotic manipulator design

Anthropomorphic soft robotics systems which replicate the stiffness and range of human joints can be challenging to develop and fabricate. By using 3D printing it is possible to create flexible joints which can have the mechanical impedance and joint range determined by the physical parameters; this allows compliant manipulators to be produced from rigid materials in a single 3D print. The dexterity of the fingers developed using rapid prototyping methods has been demonstrated by using the approach with soft manipulators to handle chopsticks to grip objects. © Springer International Publishing AG 2017.