Research Article
TeMoG – An Accessible Tool for Creating Custom Soft Robotics Parts
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-030-73426-8_20, author={Jonas J\`{u}rgensen}, title={TeMoG -- An Accessible Tool for Creating Custom Soft Robotics Parts}, proceedings={Interactivity and Game Creation. 9th EAI International Conference, ArtsIT 2020, Aalborg, Denmark, December 10--11, 2020, Proceedings}, proceedings_a={ARTSIT}, year={2021}, month={7}, keywords={Soft robotics Fabrication Design Interactive art Interaction design}, doi={10.1007/978-3-030-73426-8_20} }- Jonas Jørgensen
Year: 2021
TeMoG – An Accessible Tool for Creating Custom Soft Robotics Parts
ARTSIT
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-73426-8_20
Abstract
Soft robotics research aims to create robots made of elastic and pliable materials such as silicone rubber. Soft robotics components are endowed with a singular biomorphic aesthetic and have recently made their way into art, design, and architecture projects. However, the design and fabrication of soft robotic parts presents a substantial challenge to most beginners. A number of resources containing instructions for how to fabricate soft robotic parts currently exists, yet they focus on reproducing existing soft robotic designs. This sets a limitation on the number of soft robotics components that a creative practitioner, who is not an experienced user of the technology, might utilize in their work. To address this lack, we developed a tool that allows the user to easily fabricate custom soft robotic parts. This tool, called the Tentacle Mold Generator (TeMoG), can be used by someone with no prior experience in soft robotics. It generates STL files for 3D printing a mold to cast a custom soft robotic tentacle in silicone. In this paper, we describe the TeMoG tool and how to use it. We demonstrate the tool’s versatility and usefulness by presenting examples of its previous use in creative projects. TeMoG is distributed under a Creative Commons license and a link to download the tool with a detailed instructions manual is provided.
