FlowIO Primary Function: Lub Chaw Tsim Kho Cua (Pneumatics) by Ali Shtarbanov

FlowIO Primary Function: Lub Chaw Tsim Kho Cua (Pneumatics) by Ali Shtarbanov is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award Nyiaj in Tsim Cuab Yeej Tshawb Fawb thiab Khoom Siv Kev Tshawb Fawb Competition Category.

NyiajCuab Yeej Tshawb Fawb· 2021

FlowIO Primary Function: Lub Chaw Tsim Kho Cua (Pneumatics)

by Ali Shtarbanov

Client: Ali Shtarbanov, MIT Media Lab

A' Design Award Nyiaj Winner in Cuab Yeej Tshawb Fawb Category

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The Design

About FlowIO Primary Function: Lub Chaw Tsim Kho Cua (Pneumatics)

FlowIO yog ib lub chaw tsim kho cua (pneumatics) rau kev tswj, kev txhaus thiab kev hnov ntawm cov robots mos thiab cov khoom siv uas muaj programmable. Lub module tseem ceeb muaj cov valves, cov sensors, ib lub microcontroller, ib lub roj teeb thiab ib lub charger sib koom ua ke. Cov pump module txuas nrog magnet thiab hloov tau thaum tseem siv, muaj cov me, nrab thiab loj rau cov siab thiab flow ntau txawv. Cov module raug muab kaw rau hauv cov thawv luam 3D uas nias sib txhos tau. Ib lub cuab yeej software ntxiv cov graphical interfaces rau xov tooj ntawm tes thiab desktop, kev tswj Bluetooth thiab cov programming interfaces. FlowIO haum rau ob qho tib si kev ua haujlwm ntawm desktop thiab cov khoom hnav ntawm cev.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Nyiaj

FlowIO Primary Function: Lub Chaw Tsim Kho Cua (Pneumatics) yog tus yeej ntawm A' Design Award Nyiaj, ib qho kev lees paub muaj meej mom heev tshaj li qub uas muab rau cov qauv tsim qib siab, zoo nkauj thiab ua rau neeg xav tsis thoob. Cov neeg yeej Nyiaj yog cov haujlwm ci ntsa iab heev thiab tsim tshiab heev uas qhia txog kev paub, kev txawj ntse thiab kev ntse ntawm cov kws tsim qauv. FlowIO Primary Function: Lub Chaw Tsim Kho Cua (Pneumatics) xav tias yuav yog ib qho haujlwm zoo kawg nkaus uas tsim rau qhia, tshaj lij heev thiab tsim tshiab tob. Cov qauv tsim yeej A' Design Award Nyiaj no yog ib qho khoom tsim uas pom tseeb heev thiab neeg qhuas uas pab tau thiab nthuav dav ciam teb ntawm kev kos duab, kev tshawb fawb, kev tsim qauv thiab thev naus laus zis. FlowIO Primary Function: Lub Chaw Tsim Kho Cua (Pneumatics) yog ib qho khoom tsim uas neeg coob xav tau, uas ua rau xav, coj kev xav zoo thiab ua rau xav tsis thoob thiab xav paub.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: FlowIO is a fully-integrated, general-purpose development platform for control of soft robots and programmable materials. With magnetically connected pump modules that are swappable on-the-fly, FlowIO can satisfy diverse project needs of researchers, artists, and makers. A software toolkit with mobile and desktop graphical interfaces, Bluetooth controls, and APIs for Arduino and JavaScript — enable users from any technical background to get started and unleash their creativity with FlowIO.
Dimensions & Packaging: Five pneumatic I/O ports, each capable of 7 actions, and three swappable pump modules (small, medium, large) can satisfy different needs for pressures (-26 to 30 psi), size, and flow-rates. FlowIO with small pumps has dimensions 59x55x28 mm and mass of only 114g. Expansion modules and accessories enable additional sensing, control, and mounting options for both wearable and nonwearable applications. BLE Capability, multiple APIs, and a GUI enable diverse options for interacting with FlowIO.
Tags: Development Platform, Toolkit, Pneumatic Control System, Soft Robotics, Programmable Materials, Shape Change, Tangible User Interface, Wearables, Arduino, Raspberry Pi
Production Technology: FlowIO contains a main module, different pump modules, expansion modules, and accessories. The main module integrates 7 valves, 2 custom PCBs, sensors, microcontroller, and a battery with charger. Each pump module has 2 pumps, a custom PCB, and a battery with integrated charger. Auxiliary modules also consist of custom PCBs. The modules connect magnetically and are enclosed in 3D-printed snap-fit enclosures, that can be printed in any color. All hardware designs are made public and open-source.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was making FlowIO highly energy-efficient and miniaturized yet fully-integrated with pumps, valves, sensors, electronics, batteries. and even charging circuits. Other pneumatic platforms with far fewer capabilities are 5-10 times larger than FlowIO and they still require external pumps and/or power sources. Over a dozen design iterations were dedicated towards finding clever ways of reducing size. Developing multiple APIs and a cross-platform GUI was another major challenge.
Research: Over a dozen people have used FlowIO to date, from PhD researchers and high-school students to makers and artists. It has enabled people to develop projects in various categories including interactivity, artistic expression, locomotion, telepresence, haptic feedback, and assistive technologies. Feedback was collected from existing and prospective users continuously to inform many of the design iterations. FlowIO was also used as a teaching tool in a graduate digital fabrication course at MIT.
Inspiration: Arduino and Raspberry Pi democratized electronics and computing. FlowIO aims to democratize soft robotics and programmable materials in a similar way. The lack of development platforms for soft robotics makes the field highly inaccessible for most people and stifles innovation. The FlowIO platform was developed with the goal to democratized the emerging field of soft robotics and make rapid prototyping more accessible for researchers, artists, designers, and makers.
Project Duration: FlowIO originated out of necessity as a system I made for my own research in soft robotics and morphable interfaces at MIT Media Lab. As many other researchers, makers, and artists showed strong interest and asked to use FlowIO in their own works, in late 2019 the idea was born to augment FlowIO into a truly general purpose pneumatics development platform suitable for everyone. FlowIO has now undergone over 20 prototype iterations, with numerous new features added during those iterations.
Operation Flow: FlowIO enables users to rapidly bring soft robotics projects to life and to focus on developing actuators and experiences instead of spending time designing pneumatics, electronics, or writing control software. Miniature size, battery operation, and various modules and accessories make FlowIO suitable for both desktop and wearable applications involving inflation, vacuum, release, pressure sense, and flow variability. Multiple APIs and GUI make it possible for anyone to use the device with ease.
Team Members: Ali Shtarbanov
Hyejun Youn
Ozgun Afsar
Advisor: Dr. Joseph Paradiso of MIT Media Lab
Image Credits: Ali Shtarbanov