Soft Robotic Conveyor Belt

Soft robotics technology has revolutionized the development of machines for various applications, with conveyor belts being no exception. Traditional conveyer belts are manufactured out of rigid parts, which contribute to their high cost and weight. This makes them less portable. This research aims to design and fabricate a conveyor belt entirely from soft materials. The conveyor belt is built from silicone rubber Sorta-clear 40 and consists of a series of inflatable fluid chambers actuated by two hydraulic pumps. The fluid chambers are divided into two groups that are inflated in an alternate sequence. There is a bump on the top surface of every chamber to push the object in lateral direction when inflated. The conveyor is fabricated using silicone molding technique. A series of experiments was conducted to test the performance of the soft conveyor belt. The current prototype of conveyor belt has successfully transported a cylindrical object up the 23 g of weight and 55 mm diameter.