PneuBots Kitt ta' Kostruzzjoni ta' Robotika Rotob by Hye Jun Youn

PneuBots Kitt ta' Kostruzzjoni ta' Robotika Rotob by Hye Jun Youn is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 Premju A' Design Award tal-Bronż in Disinn tal-Edukazzjoni, Għodod tat-Tagħlim u Kontenut tat-Taħriġ Competition Category.

BronżEdukazzjoni· 2022

PneuBots Kitt ta' Kostruzzjoni ta' Robotika Rotob

by Hye Jun Youn

Client: PneuBots

Premju A' Design Award tal-Bronż Winner in Edukazzjoni Category

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Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #137958

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About PneuBots Kitt ta' Kostruzzjoni ta' Robotika Rotob

Test tal-Ktieb: PneuBots huwa kitt modulari ta' kostruzzjoni ta' robotika rotba għat-tagħlim u l-ħolqien kreattiv. Il-kitt fih seba' tipi ta' segmenti li jitilfu waħedhom, tliet tipi ta' konnetturi u splitters pnewmatiċi, u kaxxa apposta li tkejjel 200 bi 70 b'100 millimetru. Kull modulu huwa magħmul minn żewġ saffi ta' film tal-PVC issiġillati skont mudelli inspirati mill-origami permezz ta' fresatura CNC u ppressar bis-sħana. Il-moduli jiċkienu, jitwew jew jinkurvaw meta jintefħu permezz ta' valvi tal-infiħ orali. Il-kitt inaqqas il-limitu tad-dħul għal artisti, disinjaturi, inġiniera u nies kreattivi li jixtiequ jesploraw ir-robotika rotba.

The Recognition

About the Premju A' Design Award tal-Bronż

PneuBots Kitt ta' Kostruzzjoni ta' Robotika Rotob huwa rebbieħ tal-Premju A' Design Award tal-Bronż, rikonoxximent prestiġjuż ħafna mogħti lil disinji eċċellenti ddistingwuti mill-kreattività, l-ingenwità u l-għaqal. Ir-rebbieħa tal-Bronż huma xogħlijiet bi ħila biżżejjed u kreattivi b'mod impressjonanti li jawtentikaw l-esperjenza vasta, l-immaġinazzjoni u l-ħila ta' riżorsi tad-disinjaturi tagħhom. Huwa mistenni li PneuBots Kitt ta' Kostruzzjoni ta' Robotika Rotob ikun oġġett imqabbar ħafna, mammirat u maħbub, notevolment professjonali u innovattiv. Dan id-disinn rebbieħ tal-Bronż jinkorporaw l-aħjar prattiki fl-arti, ix-xjenza, id-disinn u t-teknoloġija u huwa eċċellenti fl-attenzjoni għad-dettalji. PneuBots Kitt ta' Kostruzzjoni ta' Robotika Rotob jissodisfa l-ħtiġijiet b'mod eċċellenti, imiss ix-xewqat, jinċanta s-sentimenti u jattira l-kurżità.

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