FURI | Spring 2018

Development of an Independent Compact Air Compression System for Soft Robotic Actuation

Health icon, disabled. A red heart with a cardiac rhythm running through it.

The purpose of this research is to develop a compact self-contained air compressor unit for use on-body with any pneumatically driven system. This device will allow future and current soft robotic research to become portable and detach users from the tethered cables of in-lab compressors. The research was done by studying the mechanics of compressors and modeling the system for any research needs in computational modeling software. This device has countless opportunities to further future research, allowing it to make soft robotic devices convenient and manageable for real-life users.

Student researcher

Bryce Copenhaver

Engineering (robotics)

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Graduation date: Spring 2020