Honors College Thesis
 

Design of 3D-Printed Soft Pneunet Actuator for Robotic Fruit Harvesting

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/honors_college_theses/c247f101m

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  • This work details the development of 3D printed TPU pneunet actuators for use in apple picking for agricultural soft robotics. These actuators increase the force capabilities of soft pneunets and simplify manufacturing. Grippers based on these actuators are ideal for apple picking because they are compliant, yet exert sufficient force to pull ripe apples from branches. The pneunets are printed in Cheetah TPU with an interior chamber size to wall thickness ratio of 2 mm to 1 mm, respectively. The actuators were optimized for a maximum pull force of 23 N which, when combined in a three-finger grip, can provide up to 69 N of pulling force. The block force test revealed a maximum force output of 22.77 N ± 1.41. The radius of curvature test revealed a minimum radius of curvature of 22.41 with the medium finger at a pressure of 30 psi which can grasp apples from 65.4 mm to 75.0 mm in diameter. The actuators can be combined into a gripper with a minimum of 3 actuators. This type of gripper could enable apple harvesting while maintaining compliance for protecting the fruit from bruising. Future work includes assembling the pneunets into a three-actuator gripper.
  • Key Words: Pneunet, TPU, Actuator, Soft Robotics, Three Dimensional (3D) Printing
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