Rapid development of additive technologies expands new horizons in the field of soft robotic¹ design. These technologies are new, which implementations, in the field of aerospace, are incompletely described.
The presented research intends to show possible application of 3D-printing technique in morphing wing mechanisms production. Two main methods of actuating global response of the composites, with stiff layers embedded in the soft matrix, were considered and developed. The first method is based on local indention that provides programmed global displacement (the results of numerical simulations fit experimental study). A part of the research included designing several actuators, would be beneficial for this type of shape-changing soft structures. The second method is based on a single wire actuated structure, that has a potentially array of applications due to the structure’s ability to play the role of a counter-body, by storing elastic energy.
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¹Subfield of robotics dealing with constructing robots from highly compliant materials.
