Robot without circuit control! University of California develops pneumatic logic system robot

Recently, scholars the University of California, Riverside developed a pneumatic random access memory (RAM) successfully used it to operate a soft robot to play a song.

By replacing electronic transistors with air flow valves computer logic with pneumatic logic, the researchers successfully freed the robot the control system of traditional electromechanical components.

What connects his hands brain are no longer wires, but transparent air ducts.

They are connected to the pneumatic RAM on one end to the robot 's fingers on the other.

By changing the air pressure in the pipe, the robot's fingers can be controlled to press the keys.

single notes chords to playing an entire song, this robot can do it in minutes.

this is just a small test of Pneumatic RAM.

According to the researchers, a 10-bit pneumatic RAM can accomplish the tasks that 900 independent actuators can accomplish.

This effectively solves the problem that many pneumatic robots still use electromechanical structures.

its smaller size lighter weight can significantly reduce the cost, size power requirements of pneumatic soft robots.

You know, the application prospects of inflatable soft robots are very broad.

Due to its higher flexibility safety, it has greater advantages than traditional rigid robots in performing delicate tasks.

For example, the harmless Baymax (●—●) is a very typical inflatable robot.

This undoubtedly breaks many limitations of soft robots in application scenarios. The research has now been published in the open journal PLOS One.

Pneumatic RAM controls more paths

If you want to use gas to make a robot play music, it mainly relies on two parts: pneumatic RAM monolithic diaphragm valve.

Pneumatic RAM is actually a random access memory that uses microfluidic valves instead of transistors.

The microfluidic valve is the key to achieving memory maintaining the status of the robot actuator.

Initially used to control the flow of liquids on microfluidic chips, these valves can maintain a pressure difference even when the gas supply is disconnected.

these valves can also be combined into complex dense arrays to perform many advanced operations.

For example, in this piano-playing soft robot, the researchers created an eight-bit nonvolatile RAM.

Unlike traditional circuits a single path controls a single actuator, pneumatic RAM can use n paths to control 2 to the power of n-1 actuators.

In other words, with the same four channels, the pneumatic RAM can control the independent operation of eight robotic fingers.

So how do the robotic fingers bend strike the keys?

This is when airflow comes into play.

There is a diaphragm valve on each channel controlled by the pneumatic RAM.

It mainly consists of input channel, output channel control channel, with a movable silicon membrane in the middle.

By changing the air pressure in the control channel, the silicon membrane moves, thereby controlling the flow of air in the valve.

When the control channel is in a vacuum state, the silicon membrane will be pulled into the control channel, at the same time the input-output channel is opened air flows through. This is indicated as signal 1, the robotic finger will bend at this time.

When there is air pressure in the control channel, the silicon membrane blocks the entire channel. At this time, the signal is 0 the finger is in a relaxed state.

Considering that the air flow rate of traditional monolithic diaphragm valves is high enough cannot be used by large fast-moving robots, the researchers have also made improvements to this.

They used multiple input output channels with the same standards, which on the one hand eliminated the possibility of accidental passages, on the other hand increased the airflow speed.

By varying the air pressure in different channels, the researchers can robotically play notes, chords, even entire songs on a piano.

It is worth mentioning that in the entire system of this robot, only the vacuum pump uses batteries, the other parts do have any electromechanical hardware, so it is very safe.

a 10-bit pneumatic RAM can contain 2046 channels, the area of each valve is only 7 square millimeters, which makes a 10-bit pneumatic RAM about the size of a smartphone screen.

Due to its safety simplicity, it may be used on wearable devices for young disabled children in the future.

It is worth mentioning that in February this year, researchers the University of California, San Diego also developed a gas-driven soft robot without electronic components, which appeared on the cover of Science Robotics.

Each leg of this robot is made of three retractable inflatable rubber tubes. The four legs are connected in an X shape can walk by inflating deflating the design.

Compared with robots made up of electromechanical components, it is much simpler.

At its core is a ring oscillator designed with soft valves.

In June this year, an inflatable excavation robot also appeared on the cover of Science Robotics.

It seems that gas soft robots are really a hot research field!

Maybe one day we can really see the real version of Baymax~