In context
By early 2024, conventional manufacturing struggled with large, complex workpieces, pushing robotized systems to the forefront. Yet these systems faced limitations—bulky structures, low conformability, risk of workpiece damage, and poor integration of processing and inspection. This review from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) captured a growing shift toward soft technologies as a way to overcome those barriers and move manufacturing toward human-robot coexistence.
What was reported
The paper proposes merging soft technologies with robotized manufacturing across three domains: processing, measuring, and assembly. It highlights three key enablers: variable-stiffness mechanisms, flexible sensors, and soft grippers. These aim to make systems lightweight, compliant, non-destructive, and integrated—addressing issues like complex structures and low conformability in current robotized setups.
For processing, the authors review four variable-stiffness approaches: jamming-based (particle, fiber, layer), magnetorheological fluids, low-melting-point alloys, and others. They note that jamming mechanisms can raise stiffness up to 25 times, while magnetorheological fluids respond in under 10 ms, offering fast, controllable stiffness changes for tasks like conformal grinding and polishing.
In measuring and assembly, soft flexible sensors enable in-situ, non-contact inspection of large surfaces, and soft grippers provide adaptable, gentle handling for unstructured or customized parts. The authors argue these technologies collectively support integrated processing-inspection and improve flexibility in complex manufacturing scenarios.
“The integration of soft stiffness-variable technologies, flexible sensor technologies, and soft gripper technologies into domains of robotized processing, robotized measuring, robotized assembling will endow robotized systems with advantages of lightweight, compliance, non-destructiveness, non-impact, and integration.”
Why it mattered
This review signaled a strategic direction for industrial automation: embedding soft, adaptive elements into robotized systems could resolve long-standing trade-offs between rigidity and flexibility. By enabling real-time stiffness adjustment, gentle handling, and integrated sensing, soft technologies promised to expand the applicability of robotics to high-mix, large-scale manufacturing—paving the way toward coexisting-cooperative-cognitive (tri-co) robots that work safely alongside humans.
Source: 《机器人》期刊 (robot.sia.cn) · Published 2024-03-27 · “软体技术在机器人化制造中的应用与展望”