Abstract

Abstract — This paper addresses the design and dynamic analysis of a new generation of fluidic elastomer actuators (FEAs) that offer bidirectional bending developed as motion segments of a pressure-operated soft robotic snake. Our prior work on FEAs has identified a number of limitations, namely a high center of gravity, narrow base, slow dynamics, and a small range of pressure inputs. We developed two versions of FEAs based on an improved design concept with different geometric parameters and characterized their dynamic response under a custom visual tracking system. Compared with the previous actuators, the FEAs developed in this work offer robust op-eration, safety at larger input pressure values, faster response, lower center of gravity and a flat bottom for better compatibility for snake-like undulatory locomotion. Index Terms — Fluidic elastomer actuator, dynamic charac-terization, optimal design, soft robotic snake