The aim of the project is to develop a bio-pneumatic muscle using the soft robotics toolkit that could be used in conjunction with an artificial limb to improve the quality of life of the user. ‘Pneumatic’ refers to the use of air pressure to do work or bring about movement and it is on that basis that the artificial muscle will mimic the muscle specific movements of contraction and expansion using pumps and valves. The Soft Robotics Toolkit, a ground-breaking open-source initiative developed as part of bio-medical design research being conducted in the Harvard Bio-design Lab at Harvard University will be used to implement the pneumatic muscle. The toolkit is a collection of shared resources to enable the design, fabrication, modelling, characterization, and control of soft robotic devices specifically the bio-pneumatic muscle for this project. The toolkit enables soft robotic components to be produced easily and affordably using rapid prototyping technologies such as 3D printers and low-cost materials. Researchers across the world have also been interacting with the toolkit, both contributing material and using content from it to further their own work. Pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) provides great potential in prosthetics. The main constructive element of a PAM is a thin membrane making them lightweight in nature. They can therefore be directly connected to the structure they power making them a viable option in considering the replacement of a malfunctioning muscle.
