DEVELOPMENT OF FLEXIBLE PNEUMATIC ROTARY ACTUATOR USING FLEXIBLE CYLINDER

摘要

Virtual reality has been flourishing as an interactiverninformation technology. Recently, virtual reality systems thatrnfeed back to human senses have only been realized as visualrnand acoustic feedback. However, they are not enough tornrealize the force feedback system for hands, arms, legs and sornon. Furthermore, due to the ageing in Japanese society andrnthe decreasing birthrate, an important problem of providingrnnursing care for the elderly has occurred. As a result, it isrnnecessary to develop systems to aid in nursing care. Thernactuators required for such a system need to be flexible so asrnnot to injure the body. The purpose of our study is to developrna flexible and lightweight actuator which can be safe enough tornbe attached to the human body. We propose new types ofrnflexible pneumatic actuators that can be used even if thernactuator is deformed by external force[1][2]. In this study, werntested rodless type flexible pneumatic cylinders. We alsornapplied the tested cylinders as a rotary actuator.