Stretchable Optical Waveguide Sensor Suitability for Wrinkle Degree Detection in Soft Robots

Optical waveguide deformation sensors are created for less than 15 US Dollars each and evaluated for their usefulness in detecting the severity of wrinkles in a thin-walled soft robot. This severity is quantified by the bend angle produced in the robot. The sensors are integrated into the skin of the robot and tests are performed to determine their usefulness. The sensors prove to be able to accurately track the bend angle of the robotic arm as a wrinkle is induced in a sudden load drop test, a sudden pressure loss test, an incremented load test, and an incremented pressure test. The drop test, specifically, tracked bend angle through many rapid undulations.