FDM-Printed CMOS Logic Gates from Flexing Beam Mechanisms for the Control of Soft Robotic Systems

Abstract

Fluidic control systems target unique applications where conventional electronics fail. However, current fluidic control systems face challenges in accessible fabrication, reproducibility, and modifiable characteristics such as operating pressure and instability count. Herein, fused deposition-modeled compliant mechanisms with flexing beams and soft linear actuators for fluid switching and the control of soft robotic systems are introduced. A linear actuator switches a compliant mechanism to cut off airflow through off-the-shelf tubing. The modular compliant logic devices can be configured as normally open or normally closed switches, as NOT, AND, and OR gates, and as nonvolatile memory elements. Their use is demonstrated in controlling a fluidic stepper motor, a worm-like robot, and a fluidic display. These fluidic switches are printable using inexpensive desktop 3D printers, can be reliably reproduced in large quantities, and offer a wide range of modifiable parameters, including scalability, adaptability in operating pressure, and the tunability of instability counts for computational and memory functions.