PneuBots Ka Hana Pahuhopu: ʻEke Hana Robotics Palupalu by Hye Jun Youn is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award Keleawe in Hoʻolālā Hoʻonaʻauao, Mea Kōkua Aʻo a me ʻIke Hoʻomaʻamaʻa Competition Category.
KeleaweHoʻonaʻauao· 2022
PneuBots Ka Hana Pahuhopu: ʻEke Hana Robotics Palupalu
by Hye Jun Youn
Client: PneuBots
A' Design Award Keleawe Winner in Hoʻonaʻauao Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #137958The Design
About PneuBots Ka Hana Pahuhopu: ʻEke Hana Robotics Palupalu
Kikokikona Puke: ʻO PneuBots kahi ʻeke hana robotics palupalu i hana ʻia no ke aʻo ʻana a me ka hana noʻeau. Loaʻa i loko o kēia ʻeke ʻehiku ʻano ʻāpana pelu ponoʻī, ʻekolu ʻano hoʻopili a māhele ea, a me kahi pahu kūikawā he 200 i ka 70 i ka 100 mika (millimeters) ka nui. Hana ʻia kēlā me kēia ʻāpana mai nā papa ʻelua o ke kiʻiʻoniʻoni PVC i pani ʻia ma nā ʻano kaha like me ka origami, me ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka CNC milling a me ke kaomi wela. Hoʻōʻumi, ʻōwili, a piʻo paha nā ʻāpana ke hoʻopiha ʻia me ka ea ma o nā puka hoʻopiha waha. Hoʻoemi kēia ʻeke i ka paepae komo no nā mea pena kiʻi, nā mea hoʻolālā, nā ʻenekinia, a me nā mea hana e makemake ana e ʻimi i ke ao robotics palupalu.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award Keleawe
Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā PneuBots Ka Hana Pahuhopu: ʻEke Hana Robotics Palupalu i ka A' Design Award Keleawe, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kūʻokoʻa i ʻike ʻia ma o ka hana noʻeau, ka akamai a me ka makakoho. He mau hana mākaukau a hana noʻeau kupaianaha nā lanakila Keleawe e hōʻoia ana i ka ʻike nui, ka noʻonoʻo a me ka maʻalea o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā PneuBots Ka Hana Pahuhopu: ʻEke Hana Robotics Palupalu he mea i mahalo nui ʻia, hoʻohiwahiwa ʻia a aloha ʻia, he ʻoihana a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Keleawe e hoʻohui ana i nā hana maikaʻi loa o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana, a maikaʻi no kona nānā ʻana i nā kikoʻī. Hoʻokō maikaʻi ka hoʻolālā PneuBots Ka Hana Pahuhopu: ʻEke Hana Robotics Palupalu i nā pono, hoʻopā i ka makemake, hoʻohiwahiwa i nā manaʻo a huki i ka makemake e ʻike.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- PneuBots is a modular soft robotics construction kit consisting of seven types of self-foldable, quasi-inextensible segments, three types of pneumatic connectors and splitters, and a custom-designed box. The kit enables various assemblies to be made with the modular pieces, allowing creators to explore the world of soft robotics in playful ways.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Toolkit Box, 200 mm x 70 mm x 100 mm
- Tags
- Soft Robotics, Construction kit, Pneumatics, Shape changing, Learning, Playful, Design, Art, Interactivity, Education
- Production Technology
- The modules of PneuBots were developed by a heat-pressing fabrication process, where two layers of PVC film were sandwiched together and then sealed along specific origami-inspired patterns. The CNC-milling plus heat pressing fabrication method achieves an accurate and smooth geometric pattern without wrinkles. Each PneuBots module has between one and five pneumatic ports with oral-inflation-valves. Modules can be connected to each other using three types of pneumatic connectors: Straight-shaped, T-shaped, and Cross-shaped.
- Design Challenge
- Some feedback from users mentioned the smooth surface of PVC film. Since the inflated modular blocks are slippery, the smooth texture may not be ideal for an interaction with objects with surface. Therefore, to extend PneuBots’ functionality, we are planning to create a layer of cloth such as an auxetic structure to generate friction between modules for more stable mobility. We will also eventually broaden the scope of our work to include more diversity in modular block design, and we are currently gathering data to determine the appropriate number of modular blocks to include in our basic package.
- Research
- A mixed method comprising of interviews and existing product reviews were used. The initial target user group was consisted of graduate students who are new to this field. Over the course of developing this project, we informally interacted with 20 graduate students from design and engineering background who provided feedback about the behaviors and interactions they want to achieve with soft robotic design concepts, and who also shared some of the barriers and obstacles that prevented them from realizing their goals.
- Inspiration
- Soft robotics is an emerging field with a very high potential for impact, which is also of strong interest to the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Haptic communities. Yet the barriers to entry for most makers are still very high, and they are even greater for those who come from nontechnical backgrounds. A constructive assembly kit in combination with carefully curated informational resources could significantly reduce the barrier to entry.
- Project Duration
- The project started in June 2021 in Korea and finished in January 2022 in the US.
- Operation Flow
- Seven PneuBots modules with different actuation patterns including shrinking, curling and bending were designed. There are three working shapes: line, diagonal, and diamond. A linear seam with a 5mm gap in the middle results in a shrinking mechanism. The diamond shape-hinge serves as the bending angle control. The diagonal line with a 5mm gap serves as the curling control. PneuBots allows seamless programmability of the different assemblies, enabling artists, designers, engineers, and makers to create dynamic, shape-changing, and interactive works that can be used for education, storytelling, and dynamic art.
- Team Members
- Hye Jun Youn, Ali Shtarbanov and Jooyoung Youn
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