Printed helicoids with embedded air channels make sensorized segments for soft continuum robots

2026-02-26

AI Summary

This work addresses the challenge of integrating sensors into soft continuum robots, whose highly deformable and sparsely structured geometries hinder effective perception. The authors propose an integrated fabrication approach that leverages multi-material vision-controlled jetting printing to embed pneumatic channels directly within a helical lattice structure in a single manufacturing step, while simultaneously incorporating miniature pressure sensors and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to form distributed strain-sensing units. This method enables, for the first time, the co-fabrication of the helical soft lattice, embedded fluidic channels, and electronic sensing modules, facilitating scalable sensor integration in large-scale, high-degree-of-freedom systems. Demonstrating this capability, the team successfully developed a 1-meter-long, 14-degree-of-freedom soft robotic arm capable of open-loop trajectory tracking, grasping, and stiffness estimation based on end-effector tactile feedback.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Multimodal Perception & Sensor Fusion
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Mixed Discrete/Continuous Planning
• Computer Vision: Vision for Robotics & Autonomous Driving

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Experiences and lessons learnt from Web-based algorithms and system deployments
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Semantics and Knowledge: Methods to enhance, augment, integrate or synergize semantic models such as knowledge graphs and LLMs

Abstract

Soft robots enable safe, adaptive interaction with complex environments but remain difficult to sense and control due to their highly deformable structures. Architected soft materials such as helicoid lattices offer tunable stiffness and strength but are challenging to instrument because of their sparse geometry. We introduce a fabrication method for embedding air channels into helicoid-based soft continuum robots. Multi-material segments fabricated via vision-controlled jetting in a single print interface with PCBs housing miniature pressure sensors and IMUs for distributed deformation sensing. We characterize the mechanical properties of four helicoid designs and validate the sensor response to fundamental deformation modes. To demonstrate the platform's scalability, we construct and mechanically evaluate a meter-scale, 14-DoF cable-driven soft arm capable of open-loop trajectory tracking and object grasping, with tactile-based stiffness detection demonstrated using the gripper sensors. This approach establishes a scalable fabrication strategy for sensorized architected materials in large-scale soft robotic systems.

Problem

• soft robots
• sensing
• helicoid lattices
• deformation sensing
• architected materials

Innovation

• embedded air channels
• helicoid lattices
• vision-controlled jetting
• distributed deformation sensing
• soft continuum robots