Axially-Reinforced Torus Mechanism Capable of Transferring Cell Sheet

Abstract

We propose an axially-reinforced torus mechanism capable of transferring a soft cell sheet. Several soft grippers using a balloon have been proposed which consist of elastic rubber materials. However, since the traction force does not transmit efficiently due to its soft body, it had difficulty realize the tip storing motion to peel and release the cell sheet. To solve this problem, we constructed a torus balloon that is axially reinforced by inextensible fibers. The fabrication method is presented, and the stress-strain property is measured of the torus membrane. A basic grasping test was conducted to show its effectiveness.