A Chemical Pump that Generates High‐Pressure Gas by Transmitting Liquid Fuel against Pressure Gradient. (18th February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kim, Junsoo; Luo, Kai; Suo, Zhigang
• Is Part Of: Advanced intelligent systems. Volume 4:Number 5(2022)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2022-02-18
• Subjects: autonomous robots -- chemical pumps -- fuels -- pneumatic actuators -- soft robots; Artificial intelligence -- Periodicals; Robotics -- Periodicals; Control theory -- Periodicals; 006.3
• DOI: 10.1002/aisy.202100246
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2640-4567

Abstract

Abstract : A pneumatic soft robot can be made autonomous by carrying a liquid chemical fuel. In the existing design, to transmit the fuel, the pressure of the fuel tank must exceed that of the actuator. Consequently, the fuel tank must be sufficiently stiff, which hardens the robot. Herein, inspired by pit membranes in trees, a chemical pump is developed, which is consisting of a nanoporous membrane between the fuel tank and the actuator, and coated with a catalyst on the side of the actuator. The fuel in the fuel tank migrates across the membrane and, on meeting the catalyst, decomposes into a pressurized gas and inflates the actuator. The chemical pump is driven by the free energy of reaction, against the difference in pressure. The pores in the membrane are large enough for the fuel molecules to migrate through, but small enough to block the pressurized gas to tunnel back. In a demonstration, the fuel tank has ambient pressure, and the actuator has a pressure of 350 kPa, comparable to the pressure in a car tire. The chemical pump enables pneumatic robots to be autonomous, powerful, and soft. Abstract : Existing autonomous pneumatic soft robots have a stiff fuel tank to transport the fuel and inflate the actuator. Inspired by pit membranes in trees, a chemical pump decouples the pressures of the fuel tank and actuator, while the fuel is transmitted to the actuator against the pressure difference. The chemical pump enables pneumatic robots to be autonomous, powerful, and soft.