Projects / Mechanical / Project 59

McKibben Pneumatic Artificial Muscle

Approx. component budget: Rs. 4,000 - 8,000

Objective

Measure how the force and contraction of the muscle change with air pressure, braid angle and length.

What you will build

Pneumatic muscles made from rubber tubing and braided sleeve with end fittings, an air supply with regulator and pressure sensor, a load rig and a ruler to read contraction.

Results you can expect

• Force vs pressure
• Contraction vs pressure
• Effect of length and braid angle
• Comparison with the theoretical model

What you will learn

Soft actuators and pneumatics, with force-displacement behaviour used in prosthetics and soft robots.

Tools and notes

Pressure regulator and sensor, load cell, Excel. Stay within the safe pressure of the tubing and wear safety glasses.

Resume points from this project

• Built and tested McKibben Pneumatic Artificial Muscle; objective: measure how the force and contraction of the muscle change with air pressure, braid angle and length.
• Measured and analysed force vs pressure and contraction vs pressure; wrote the report and presented the results in a viva. Add your own numbers: [x].

Replace [x] with your own measured results. Write only what you really did.

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