Sew-free anisotropic textile composites for rapid design and manufacturing of soft wearable robots

Abstract Textiles are promising materials to realize the next generation of pneumatic soft robots as they are lightweight, conformable, stretchable, and intrinsically anisotropic. Exploiting these properties, here we describe the fabrication and mechanical characterization of a new type of bending textile actuator. The actuator is fabricated using a lamination and layering process which eliminates the need for complex cut-and-sew procedures or the addition of components such as a bladder to contain air. We demonstrate the use of films to create air-impermeable textile composites and to alter the mechanical properties of the textiles, facilitating the design of actuators which exhibit complex deformation patterns. We mechanically characterize the textile composites and mathematically model their behavior. Finally, we show that our manufacturing and modeling methods facilitate the design of actuators tailored to specific functions, as demonstrated by our soft textile-based robotic glove.