start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=25 cd-vols= no-issue=9-10 article-no= start-page=1311 end-page=1330 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2011 dt-pub=2011 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Miniature Pneumatic Curling Rubber Actuator Generating Bidirectional Motion with One Air-Supply Tube en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Soft actuators driven by pneumatic pressure are promising actuators for mechanical systems in medical, biological, agriculture, welfare fields and so on, because they can ensure high safety for fragile objects from their low mechanical impedance. In this study, a new rubber pneumatic actuator made from silicone rubber was developed. Composed of one chamber and one air-supply tube, it can generate curling motion in two directions by using positive and negative pneumatic pressure. The rubber actuator, for generating bidirectional motion, was designed to achieve an efficient shape by nonlinear finite element method analysis, and was fabricated by a molding and rubber bonding process using excimer light. The fabricated actuator was able to generate curling motion in two directions successfully. The displacement and force characteristics of the actuator were measured by using a motion capture system and a load cell. As an example application of the actuator, a robotic soft hand with three actuators was constructed and its effectiveness was confirmed by experiments. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=WakimotoShuichi en-aut-sei=Wakimoto en-aut-mei=Shuichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=SuzumoriKoichi en-aut-sei=Suzumori en-aut-mei=Koichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=OguraKeiko en-aut-sei=Ogura en-aut-mei=Keiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil= kn-affil=Research Core for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Okayama University affil-num=2 en-affil= kn-affil=Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University affil-num=3 en-affil= kn-affil=Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University en-keyword=Soft actuator kn-keyword=Soft actuator en-keyword=pneumatic actuator kn-keyword=pneumatic actuator en-keyword=bidirectional motion kn-keyword=bidirectional motion en-keyword=nonlinear analysis kn-keyword=nonlinear analysis END