Textiles as the Basis for Integrated Soft Robots

Abstract

Most of our lives are spent in contact with textiles or fabrics, a class of metamaterials created by interlacing or interlooping long 1D yarns into 2D and 3D shapes. Textiles are beginning to be established as a prominent material class in wearable robotics, a field in which garments incorporate sensors and actuators for applications including mobility assistance, information conveyance, and rehabilitation training. While promising, the complexity and multidisciplinarity of wearable robotic systems continue to challenge researchers; to address these challenges, this thesis focuses on integration. I construct a framework of textile-based actuators, sensors, and metrics of several prominent classes of wearable robotic devices. Textile and garment manufacturing allows for a rich set of technologies to be drawn upon to create new fabrication strategies specific for the needs of wearable robots with integrated components. Two promising approaches to develop integrated manufacturing platforms are presented: layered lamination processes and stitch-level strategies. I compare bulk textile and stitch level textile strategies, realize integrated textile-based soft robots, and discuss future direction of the field of textile-based soft robots.