OVERVIEW

Soft robotics" is a new field in robotics that explores how the flexibility in the robot's body can provide new solutions for application contexts requiring high adaptability to the environment and safety during interaction. The objective of the course is to provide students with the fundamental concepts of soft robotics. Specifically, it will cover methods for designing, modeling, analyzing, and fabricating soft robots; technologies for soft actuators and sensors, as well as control methods; application contexts for soft robotics and examples of successful implementations.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Compliance in the robot body can be exploited for dealing with task and environment uncertainty and for interacting with humans. “Softness” offers higher safety, larger variability of movement and higher dexterity and shows the potential for building safer, cheaper and more intelligent autonomous robots than conventional robotics can achieve. Taking inspiration from biological systems, which are able to survive in complex and unstructured environments thanks to the intrinsic compliance of their soft and flexible body, the focus is in understanding the mechanisms at the base of their high adaptability and in replicating them in robots for achieving intelligent behaviour. In particular the role of body morphology (i.e., form and structure), how biological systems use their body to control basic actions, and how intelligent behaviour emerges from the interaction between the body and the environment in which it is placed, constitute the foundation of the design of new soft actuators and sensors and new control strategies for the robot of the future. This course will present different aspects of soft robotics technologies including, materials, manufacturing, actuation and sensing mechanisms, modeling and control and real-world applications.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The student will acquire the necessary tools to design soft robots and provide solutions to various application scenarios where rigid robotics has limitations. In particular, the course will provide an introduction to soft robotics and cover topics related to design methods, materials, and fabrication techniques. It will also explore the technologies used to create soft actuators and sensors, as well as control methods. Additionally, the course will showcase examples where the successful implementation of soft robots has been demonstrated.

The student will get competences in : 1) introduction to soft robotics 2) Soft Robots Design Principle 3) Materials and manufacturing methods for soft robots 4) soft actuators and sensors 5) modeling and control of soft robots 6) Soft Robotics applications.

- Manage social interactions with a collaborative attitude and constructive communication in different environments  - demonstrate decision-making autonomy, a collaborative attitude, management of human and material resources, - coordination, negotiation skills, and the ability to handle uncertainty.

PREREQUISITES

No specific prerequisites are needed. CAD Design, Matlab, Python and some elements of programming in C for microcontrollers, may be helpful.

TEACHING METHODS

Balance between lectures and group or individual work which can be part of assignments.

The course involves the creation of working groups that will be organized which will have to choose a case study and analyze it by applying the soft robotics methods described in class. At the end of the course, each group will present their case analysis project and improvement proposals based on questions and feedback from their peers.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

1) introduction to soft robotics 2) Soft Robots Design Principle 3) Materials and manufacturing methods for soft robots 4) soft actuators and sensors 5) modeling and control of soft robots 6) Soft Robotics applications.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

the slides shown during the lessons and other teaching materials will be available on the Aulaweb platform

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

PERLA MAIOLINO (President)

ENRICO SIMETTI

MATTEO ZOPPI (President Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

https://corsi.unige.it/10635/p/studenti-orario

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

written questionnaire on course topics or presentation of group or individual project carried out during the course with oral discussion.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

evaluation of the written questionnaire or group or individual project

Exam schedule