Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Gumowski, Jessica, Digumarti, Krishna Manaswi, Howard, David
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.07882
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866914493951377408
author Gumowski, Jessica
Digumarti, Krishna Manaswi
Howard, David
author_facet Gumowski, Jessica
Digumarti, Krishna Manaswi
Howard, David
contents Organisms in nature, such as Cephalopods and Pachyderms, exploit stiffness modulation to achieve amazing dexterity in the control of their appendages. In this paper, we explore the phenomenon of layer jamming, which is a popular stiffness modulation mechanism that provides an equivalent capability for soft robots. More specifically, we focus on mechanical layer jamming, which we realise through two-layer multi material structure with tooth-like protrusions. We identify key design parameters for mechanical layer jamming systems, including the ability to modulate stiffness, and perform a variety of comprehensive tests placing the specimens under bending and torsional loads to understand the influence of our selected design parameters (mainly tooth geometry) on the performance of the jammed structures. We note the ability of these structures to produce a peak change in stiffness of 5 times in bending and 3.2 times in torsion. We also measure the force required to separate the two jammed layers, an often ignored parameter in the study of jamming-induced stiffness change. This study aims to shed light on the principled design of mechanical layer jammed systems and guide researchers in the selection of appropriate designs for their specific application domains.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_07882
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle An Experimental Characterization of Mechanical Layer Jamming Systems
Gumowski, Jessica
Digumarti, Krishna Manaswi
Howard, David
Robotics
Organisms in nature, such as Cephalopods and Pachyderms, exploit stiffness modulation to achieve amazing dexterity in the control of their appendages. In this paper, we explore the phenomenon of layer jamming, which is a popular stiffness modulation mechanism that provides an equivalent capability for soft robots. More specifically, we focus on mechanical layer jamming, which we realise through two-layer multi material structure with tooth-like protrusions. We identify key design parameters for mechanical layer jamming systems, including the ability to modulate stiffness, and perform a variety of comprehensive tests placing the specimens under bending and torsional loads to understand the influence of our selected design parameters (mainly tooth geometry) on the performance of the jammed structures. We note the ability of these structures to produce a peak change in stiffness of 5 times in bending and 3.2 times in torsion. We also measure the force required to separate the two jammed layers, an often ignored parameter in the study of jamming-induced stiffness change. This study aims to shed light on the principled design of mechanical layer jammed systems and guide researchers in the selection of appropriate designs for their specific application domains.
title An Experimental Characterization of Mechanical Layer Jamming Systems
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.07882