phloSAR: a Portable, High-Flow Pressure Supply and Regulator Enabling Untethered Operation of Large Pneumatic Soft Robots

Abstract-- Pneumatic actuation benefits soft robotics by facilitating compliance, enabling large volume change, and concentrating actuator weight away from the end-effector. We present phloSAR, a portable high-flow pressure supply and regulator to enable untethered operation of large pneumatic soft robots. The prototype is integrated with an aerial vehicle and actuates a soft "vine" Control" includes the valves and Venturi pump, "Pneumatics" includes the reservoir and pneumatic connections, "Structure" includes the chassis and mounting hardware, and "Drone Integration" includes the vine robot and The phloSAR mass is 0.84 kg. However, pneumatic soft robots high-flow pneumatic components for high-speed pressure (PSRs) require a method for pressure generation and regulation, regulation of large volumes, and it integrates a refillable and many of these robots rely on pneumatic tubing high-pressure air reservoir that enables untethered operation that tethers them to heavy air compressors [1]. However, these untethered and Venturi vacuum generation, enabling untethered solutions are intended for PSRs with smaller volumes or lowflow operation of large-volume pneumatic soft robots. While untethered pneumatic solutions 2) Models, verification, and guidelines that aid in the exist for larger PSRs [11], [12], this comes at the cost design of future phloSARs for custom applications. of added size and weight, limiting their suitability in PSR 3) Implementation of a physical phloSAR prototype and a applications with stringent payload limits (e.g., soft aerial demonstration on a mobile soft robot.