A new development in low cost pneumatic actuators

Outlines the history of pneumatic muscle actuators as applied to prosthetics, orthotics and rehabilitation robotics. The advantages of low cost pneumatic muscles over more conventional forms of actuation are described, together with details of a single-axis test-rig which is being used to analyse the static and dynamic performance of a new type of muscle system in twenty different variations of length and width. A theoretical analysis using the nonsteady flow energy equation is proposed and some early experimental results are presented. Finally, the results of this study can be used to develop an electric wheelchair mounted robotic arm incorporating pneumatic muscle actuators.<>