SoRoTop: a hitchhiker's guide to topology optimization MATLAB code for design-dependent pneumatic-driven soft robots

Abstract

Demands for pneumatic-driven soft robots are constantly rising for various applications. However, they are often designed manually due to the lack of systematic methods. Moreover, design-dependent characteristics of pneumatic actuation pose distinctive challenges. This paper provides a compact MATLAB code, named SoRoTop, and its various extensions for designing pneumatic-driven soft robots using topology optimization. The code uses the method of moving asymptotes as the optimizer and builds upon the approach initially presented in Kumar et al.(Struct Multidiscip Optim 61 (4): 1637-1655, 2020). The pneumatic load is modeled using Darcy's law with a conceptualized drainage term. Consistent nodal loads are determined from the resultant pressure field using the conventional finite element approach. The robust formulation is employed, i.e., the eroded and blueprint design descriptions are used. A min-max optimization problem is formulated using the output displacements of the eroded and blueprint designs. A volume constraint is imposed on the blueprint design, while the eroded design is used to apply a conceptualized strain energy constraint. The latter constraint aids in attaining optimized designs that can endure the applied load without compromising their performance. Sensitivities required for optimization are computed using the adjoint-variable method. The code is explained in detail, and various extensions are also presented. It is structured into pre-optimization, MMA optimization, and post-optimization operations, each of which is comprehensively detailed. The paper also illustrates the impact of load sensitivities on the optimized designs. SoRoTop is provided in Appendix A and is available with extensions in the supplementary material and publicly at \url{https://github.com/PrabhatIn/SoRoTop}.

arXiv comment31 pages, MATLAB codes

References in corpus (12)

• Imposing minimum and maximum member size, minimum cavity size, and minimum separation distance between solid members in topology optimization
• Topology Optimization of Fluidic Pressure Loaded Structures and Compliant Mechanisms using the Darcy Method
• A detailed introduction to density-based topology optimisation of fluid flow problems with implementation in MATLAB
• Topology Optimization and 3D printing of Large Deformation Compliant Mechanisms for Straining Biological Tissues
• On topology optimization of design-dependent pressure-loaded three-dimensional structures and compliant mechanisms
• HoneyTop90: A 90-line MATLAB code for topology optimization using honeycomb tessellation
• Computational synthesis of large deformation compliant mechanisms undergoing self and mutual contact
• TOPress: a MATLAB implementation for topology optimization of structures subjected to design-dependent pressure loads
• Topological synthesis of fluidic pressure-actuated robust compliant mechanisms
• On Topology optimization with elliptical masks and honeycomb tessellation with explicit length scale constraints
• An improved Material Mask Overlay Strategy for the desired discreteness of pressure-loaded optimized topologies
• Towards topology optimization of pressure-driven soft robots

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Soft Pneumatic Grippers: Topology optimization, 3D-printing and Experimental validation
• PyHexTop: a compact Python code for topology optimization using hexagonal elements
• TOaCNN: Adaptive Convolutional Neural Network for Multidisciplinary Topology Optimization