IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2025 DOI
Shota Kosaka
Osaka University
Kentaro Kimura
Osaka University
Seiichi Yamamoto
Osaka University
Hiroki Ishizuka
Osaka University
Yoichi Masuda
Osaka University
Parinya Punpongsanon
Saitama University
Sei Ikeda
Osaka University
Osamu Oshiro
Osaka University
Self-healing polymers, which can autonomously repair damage or be repaired through simple treatments, have garnered attention due to their flexibility in addressing damage and enabling long-term use in soft robotics. Many studies on the application of self-healing polymers to soft robotics have focused on realizing healable systems. Such a mechanism makes it possible to construct soft robots. Despite previous research on reconfigurable soft robots, the reconfiguration of actuators—critical components for determining actuation—has not been explored extensively. We propose a method for constructing reconfigurable soft pneumatic actuators using multi-material self-healing polymers, thus enhancing the adaptability and functionality of soft robotic systems. The actuator comprises stretchable and less-stretchable self-healing polymers, which allow for durable and versatile configurations. By adjusting the placement of the less-stretchable polymer on the actuator surface, we can design and alter the deformation, thus achieving various forms of actuation. Our research demonstrates the feasibility of actuators capable of bending, contracting, twisting, and elongating. We provide examples of their application in actuator fabrication, thus showcasing the potential of our study in inspiring the design and fabrication of soft robots utilizing self-healing polymers.
@article{2025-reconfigurable-soft-pneumatic-actuators,
title = {{Reconfigurable Soft Pneumatic Actuators Using Multi-Material Self-Healing Polymers}},
author = {Shota Kosaka AND Kentaro Kimura AND Seiichi Yamamoto AND Hiroki Ishizuka AND Yoichi Masuda AND Parinya Punpongsanon AND Sei Ikeda AND Osamu Oshiro},
journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1109/LRA.2025.3554971},
url = {https://www.fip.ics.saitama-u.ac.jp/pubs/reconfigurable-soft-pneumatic-actuators}
}