In August, the UH IDEAS² team advanced their soft robotics research to support inflatable space structure maintenance and inspection.
The team developed new prototypes of a pneumatic-actuated robotic finger and an SMA-driven robotic arm, each designed to deliver distinct force and deformation outputs, with future integration planned into lightweight robotic manipulators for space use.
Parallel work focused on a microcontroller-based soft gripper system, where PWM-modulated airflow control enables precise actuation and provides the foundation for embedding dielectric elastomer self-sensing to achieve closed-loop bending feedback.
These efforts demonstrate progress toward self-sensing, feedback-controlled robotic systems capable of performing critical handling, repair, and inspection tasks in future space habitats.