Current three-dimensional (3D) printing allows for the fabrication of controllable 3D printed soft actuators with growing applications in soft robotics, like cell manipulation and drug delivery. Therefore, a precise and computationally efficient control algorithm for robust trajectory tracking of the 3D printed soft actuators has become important. The results of the primary model of the soft actuator deviated from experimental results due to uncertainties such as time-varying characteristics of the actuator. Hence, a second-order type nonsingular terminal sliding mode controller (NTSMC) for robust stabilization and trajectory tracking of the 3D printed actuator is proposed. It is shown via experiments that…
This paper presents a 3-dimensional (3D) printed soft parallel contactless actuator for the first time. The actuator involves an electro-responsive parallel mechanism made of two segments namely active chain and passive chain both 3D printed. The active chain is attached to the ground from one end and constitutes two actuator links made of responsive hydrogel. The passive chain, on the other hand, is attached to the active chain from one end and consists of two rigid links made of polymer. The actuator links are printed using an extrusion-based 3D-Bioplotter with polyelectrolyte hydrogel as printer ink. The rigid links are also…