AirForce Turns Inflatable Tubes Into Robotic Structures
Building a 25-foot-tall animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex would normally require a sturdy framework, a large number of joints, heavy actuators, and a small army of people to put everything together. Researchers at the Hasso Plattner Institute have developed a much lighter alternative. Their AirForce fabrication system can turn a single long inflatable tube into enormous animated structures capable of supporting serious loads.
AirForce builds on previous research into inflatable truss structures, but takes the concept a lot further. Instead of using only the tube to form a static framework, sections of that same tube become pneumatic actuators. The result is a structure that can effectively be folded from one continuous piece of material, without conventional joints or separate pneumatic cylinders.
The T. rex can be assembled by one person (📷: L. Rambold et al.)
The researchers developed three types of integrated actuators for different jobs. Buckling actuators straighten when pressurized, pushing...
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