光ファイバセンサの特性を考慮した空気圧スマート人工筋の設計

抄録

The McKibben artificial muscle is a pneumatic soft actuator that has a structure in which a rubber tube is covered with a sleeve formed by fibers. The artificial muscle contracts by applying air pressure.

In this study, we have developed a pneumatic smart artificial muscle with displacement sensor by including optical fibers into the fibers of the sleeve. The optical fiber has the characteristic that the amount of light propagating inside it decreases when it bends. The optical fibers braided into the artificial muscle functions as a displacement sensor because the amount of bending changes by the contraction of the artificial muscle. In this report, considering the dead zone of the optical fiber sensor, the artificial muscle is designed.