New Healing of Bone Injuries
Patent
US10113537
Owner
EPFL
Filing Date
April 08, 2016
Priority Date
April 08, 2016
Portfolio
Stiffness Device - EPFL
Intro
Soft hardware technologies are increasingly used in devices intended for tasks requiring high dexterity or conformabilities such as manipulation, rehabilitation and surgical operations. However, material compliance can become a limiting factor of situations that require exertion or withstanding of substantial forces such as weight support or high contact forces.
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Claims
1.
A thread-like variable stiffness device, comprising: a core including a low melting point alloy; an encapsulation surrounding the core, the encapsu...
- A thread-like variable stiffness device, comprising: a core including a low melting point alloy; an encapsulation surrounding the core, the encapsulation made of an elastic material and sealing the core; and a heating device arranged around the encapsulation, configured to heat the core, wherein the elastic material of the encapsulation is subject to a tensile stress in a direction along a longitudinal extension of the thread-like variable stiffness device.
- The variable stiffness device according to claim 1, wherein the core is shaped as a longitudinal rod, and the encapsulation is shaped as a tube that entirely encapsulates the core.
- The variable stiffness device according to claim 1, wherein the encapsulation is made of silicone.
- The variable stiffness device according to claim 1, wherein, in a stiff state, the low melting point alloy is in a solid state, and in a soft state, the low melting point alloy is in a liquid state.
- The variable stiffness device according to claim 1, wherein the heater includes a conductive wire that is wound around the core.
- The variable stiffness device according to claim 1, wherein the low melting point alloy is subject to a compressive stress in the direction along the longitudinal extension of the thread-like variable stiffness device.
- A method of manufacturing a variable stiffness device, comprising the steps of: heating a low melting point alloy to put the low melting point alloy in a liquid state; pulling the low melting point alloy in the liquid state inside a longitudinal tubular elastic encapsulation by a suction force; cooling the low melting point alloy inside the elastic encapsulation to put the low melting point alloy in a solid state; applying a tensile force to the elastic encapsulation to stretch the elastic encapsulation tube in a longitudinal direction by a certain percentage; and sealing both ends of the elastic encapsulation in a stretched state to seal the low melting point allow inside the elastic encapsulation.
- The method according to claim 6, wherein in the step of pulling, the suction force is generated by a syringe.
- The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of:
winding a conductive filament around an outer wall of the elastic encapsulation to provide a heating device. - The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of applying the tensile force stretches the elastic encapsulation in a range between 10% and 100% from its initial, unstretched shape.
- An actuator, comprising: a tubular body with an interior chamber; and a plurality of variable stiffness devices, each of the variable stiffness devices including, a core including a low melting point alloy; a tubular encapsulation surrounding the core, the encapsulation made of an elastic material and sealing the core; and a heating device arranged around the encapsulation, configured to heat the core, wherein the elastic material of the encapsulation is subject to a tensile stress in a direction along a longitudinal extension of the thread-like variable stiffness device, and wherein the plurality of variable stiffness devices are arranged in parallel and are attached to the tubular body, and are also arranged in parallel with a longitudinal extension of the tubular body.
- The actuator according to claim 10, further comprising: reinforcement rings that are circumferentially arranged around the tubular body, wherein the interior chamber of the tubular body is pressurized.
- The actuator according to claim 10, further comprising: a control device configured to control a stiffness of the plurality of variable stiffness devices individually.
Abstract
A variable stiffness device, including a core including a low melting point alloy, an encapsulation surrounding the core, the encapsulation made of an...
A variable stiffness device, including a core including a low melting point alloy, an encapsulation surrounding the core, the encapsulation made of an elastic material and sealing the core, and a heating device arranged around the encapsulation, configurated to heat the core, wherein the elastic material of the encapsulation is subject to a tensile stress in a direction along a latitudinal extension of the thread-like variable stiffness device.
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