Soft Smart Sleeve
Multi-directional Variable Impedance Mechanism (left) and Shoulder Assistance Wearable Suit (right)

   Wearable robots for use in the human environment must be inherently safe, compact, lightweight, and efficient at the same time. Conventional wearables developed in the past are generally composed of bulky rigid frames, which cannot guarantee the inherent safety of the users. To address this issue, soft wearable robots have been proposed as a solution for safe and lightweight wearable robots. However, due to problems such as force transmission, durability, and limited space, soft wearable robots capable of assisting the users with sufficient performance, are not commercially available. In order to develop soft wearable robots for commercial use, we are conducting research related to 1) designing a novel concept high-spec pneumatic actuator, 2) developing of flexible force transmission structure capable of effective force transmission, and 3) improving the overall efficiency of the pneumatic system by novel recirculation mechanism. By actively conducting these researches, we aim to develop a highly effective soft wearable suit for human assistance and rehabilitation without degrading the user's comfort.

Related Publications

Power-Efficient Soft Pneumatic Actuator Using Spring-Frame Collateral Compression Mechanism

S. Kim, S. R. Lee, S. Lee, D. Lee, and D. Shin
Actuators, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 1-13, 2022.

An Air Recirculation System Based on Bioinspired Soft Re-Air Valve for Highly Efficient Pneumatic Actuation

S. Lee, D. Lee and, D. Shin
Soft Robotics, Vol. 8, No. 5, pp. 564-576, 2021.

A Soft, Multi-DoF, Variable Stiffness Mechanism using Layer Jamming for Wearable Robots, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters

W. H. Choi, S. Kim, D. Lee, and D. Shin
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 2539-2546, 2019.

웨어러블 로봇용 가변강성 재밍 엑추에이터를 위한 모바일 공압 시스템

W. H. Choi and D. Shin
ICROS Conference, Buan, Korea, May 2018.

Development of Pneumatic Soft Smart Sleeve

W. H. Choi and D. Shin
KROS Winter Conference, Pyeongchang, Korea, January 2018.

Design of Recirculation System and Re-Valve for Increasing the Compressing Efficiency

S. Y. Lee, K. H. Han, and D. Shin
In Proceedings of URAI Conference, Jeju Island, Korea, June 2017.

Modeling of a Novel Soft Pneumatic Muscle

K. H. Han and D. Shin
In Proceedings of KSPE Spring Conference, Jeju Island, Korea, May 2017.

Development of a Novel Soft Pneumatic Muscle with High Contraction Ratio

K. H. Han and, D. Shin
In Proceedings of KSPE Spring Conference, Jeju Island, Korea, May 2016.

A Centrifugal Force-Based, Configuration-Independent, High-Torque- Density, Passive Brake for Human-Friendly Robots

D. Shin, A. Tanaka, N. Kim, O. Khatib
IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, Vol. 21, No. 6, pp. 2827- 2835, 2016.

A New Hybrid Actuation Scheme with Artificial Pneumatic Muscles and a Magnetic Particle Brake for Safe Human-Robot Collaboration

D. Shin, X. Yeh, and O. Khatib
International Journal of Robotics Research, Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 507-518, 2014.

Circular Pulley Versus Variable Radius Pulley: Optimal Design Methodologies and Dynamic Characteristics Analysis

D. Shin, X. Yeh, and O. Khatib
IEEE Transactions on Robotics, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 766-774, 2013.

Design and Control of a Bio-Inspired Human-Friendly Robot

D. Shin, I. Sardellitti, Y. Park, O. Khatib, and M. R. Cutkosky
International Journal of Robotics Research, Vol. 29, No. 5, pp. 571-584, 2010.