It’s easy to take joint mobility for granted. Without thinking, it’s simple enough to turn the pages of a book or bend to stretch out a sore muscle. Designers don’t have the same luxury. When building a joint, be it for a robot or wrist brace, designers seek customizability across all degrees of freedom but are often restricted by their versatility to adapt to different use contexts.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering have developed an algorithm to design metastructures that are reconfigurable across six degrees of freedom and allow for stiffness tunability. The algorithm can interpret the kinematic motions that are needed for multiple configurations of a device and assist designers in creating such reconfigurability. This advancement gives designers more precise control over the functionality of joints for various applications.
The team demonstrated the structure’s versatile capabilities via multiple wearable devices tailored for unique movement functions, body areas, and uses.
