A lightweight flexible semi-cylindrical valve for seamless integration in soft robots based on the giant electrorheological fluid

Complete compliance of soft robots is a trending research topic. One significant aspect is the control element. In the current work, a flexible electro-rheological (ER) valve development is chosen due to the advantage of its dynamic power density, convenient electronic control mode, and no mechanical moving parts. These properties enable the ER valve to be miniaturized and easily integrated into a fluid-driven soft robot. However, the integration effect of the existing flexible ER valve configuration in soft robots is not ideal. In this study, a novel concentric semi-cylindrical flexible giant ER (GER) valve with a dual flowing direction is proposed for a soft robot to enable a larger deformation bending motion with multiple motion modes. The resulting valve has an overall volume of 50 mm3, a mass of 0.88 g, and a maximum controlling pressure of 84 kPa with a pressure change rate of 13.9, which is suitable for most soft robot applications. The pressure difference calculation method for the concentric semi-cylindrical GER valve is discussed. The effects of size, voltages, and flow rates on the valve’s static and dynamic performances, as well as the characteristics of the two pressure regulation modes, are investigated through simulations and experiments. The seamless integration and flexibility of the proposed valve are demonstrated by controlling a typical network actuator with six motion modes. Finally, a soft robot composed of two actuators is fabricated and realized the grasping of multiple everyday objects using different motion modes.