Modelling pneumatic muscles as hydraulic muscles for use as an underwater actuator

Abstract

Pneumatic muscles have been used for a number of years as actuators in robotic systems, usually for those that mimic human actions. They are most commonly used in systems designed to aid physically handicapped people. Air muscles consist of an inflatable tube, usually neoprene rubber that is constrained by a nylon mesh. When compressed air is passed into the muscle, which is blocked at one end, the tube inflates, but the action of the enclosing mesh forces the tube to shorten. The resultant force is sued as a linear actuator. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.