FilMBot: A High-Speed Soft Parallel Robotic Micromanipulator
Jiangkun Yu, Houari Bettahar, Hakan Kandemir, Quan Zhou
AI summary
Problem
Current soft robotic micromanipulators lack the speed and dynamic precision required for real-world applications, while rigid alternatives struggle with compliance and adaptability.
Approach
The team designed a 3-degree-of-freedom parallel manipulator using laser-cut polypropylene film legs actuated by contactless electromagnetic coils and permanent magnets to enable rapid deformation and precise control.
Key results
- Angular speeds up to 2456°/s and linear velocities up to 1.92 m/s
- Path-following precision of ~6.3 μm
- Operational bandwidth below 30 Hz with 50 Hz responsiveness
- Multimorph workspace expansion via magnetic switching
Why it matters
This design bridges the speed-precision gap in soft robotics, making high-performance dynamic micromanipulation accessible for biomedical and industrial applications using low-cost, readily available components.
Abstract
Soft robotic manipulators are generally slow despite their great adaptability, resilience, and compliance. This limitation also extends to current soft robotic micromanipulators. Here, we introduce FilMBot, a 3-DOF film-based, electromagnetically ac- tuated, soft kinematic robotic micromanipulator achieving speeds up to 2117°/s and 2456°/s in α and β angular motions, with corresponding linear velocities of 1.61 m/s and 1.92 m/s using a 4-cm needle end-effector, 0.54 m/s along the Z-axis, and 1.57 m/s during Z-axis morph switching. The robot can reach ∼1.50 m/s in path-following tasks, with an operational bandwidth below ∼30 Hz, and remains responsive at 50 Hz. It demonstrates high precision (∼6.3 μm, or ∼0.05% of its workspace) in path-following tasks, with precision remaining largely stable across frequencies. The novel combination of the low-stiffness soft kinematic film structure and strong electromagnetic actuation in FilMBot opens new avenues for soft robotics. Furthermore, its simple construction and inexpensive, readily accessible components could broaden the application of micromanipulators beyond current academic and professional users.