Graduate Student Researcher at NCSU – Soft Robotics

  • Developed a resistive self-sensing PID controller for electro-thermal bimorph soft actuator used in four-fingered gripper
  • Simulated the control algorithm using the modeled system dynamics in MATLAB & Simulink
  • Deployed the controller on the actual soft actuator in real-time (Rapid Control Prototyping) using LabView
  • Improved actuation speed more than 80%, achieved excellent tracking and disturbance rejection 
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  Hardware setup

  • Soft actuator – Pure PDMS/PDMS – AgNW composite
  • NI USB 6211 – DAQ
  • DSM VF – 500  – Amplifier
  • A resistor of known resistance – 1.3 ohms
  • LabView (Virtual Controller)
Hardware setup (Ignore my messy desk :P)
Soft Actuator

Working video:

Other details:

Lab: Nanomechanics and Nanoengineering Laboratory

Project advisor: Dr. Yong Zhu

Special thanks to Shuang Wu – Labmate and mentor