Bionic E-Trunk

Year

2023

The idea

Delicate, miniaturised, electric – this is the principle behind the Bionic E-Trunk. Its readily yielding soft robotics system allows safe collaboration with a human operator.

The objective

The Bionic E-Trunk, with its intelligent sensor and control technology, incorporates the know-how gained from previous pneumatic projects modelled on the elephant’s trunk: Bionic Handling Assis-tant, BionicMotionRobot and BionicSoftArm.

Technical data

• Weight: 12 g
• Segment length: 140 mm
• Structure: 3D-printed photopolymer
• Material: shape memory alloy

Structure

The Bionic E-Trunk comprises two segments with tapering diameter; these are stabilised by a 3D-printed structure and a superelastic rod. Thin wires of a metallic material are arranged around this spine-like core.

Artificial muscles

Electrical impulses cause the artificial muscles to contract. Each segment contains three wire bundles, each consisting in turn of two or four individual wires. Depending on which wires are activated, the Bionic E-Trunk bends in a controlled manner in the desired direction.

Shape memory

The metallic material is a shape memory alloy with two different structures. When an electric current is applied, the wires heat up and contract; when they then cool down, they “remember” their previous shape and return to their original position.

Material

Bionic_E-Trunk