We believe that opportunities for innovation and creative expression,
should be easily accessible and available to everyone.
Arduino and Raspberry PI democratized electronics and portable computing.
My goal is to democratize - in a similar way - soft robotics and programmable materials.
That's why I developed FlowIO.
To enable researchers, makers, and artists
to bring their projects to life rapidly and easily.
FlowIO is the first,
fully-integrated, and truly-general-purpose miniature pneumatics development platform
for actuation, sensing, and control of soft robots.
Enabling diverse range of wearable and non-wearable applications.
From interactivity and telepresence,
to assistive technology
and artistic expression.
There are three key aspects to FlowIO: *Hardware*, *Software* and *Community*
HARDWARE
FlowIO features 5 pneumatic ports, where EACH port supports the actions of:
Inflation, Vacuum, Release, Hold, Pressure Sense, and Flow-rate variability.
It offers multiple connectivity options including:
Bluetooth, Micro USB, and a 14-pin expansion port with pins for SPI, I2C, and UART protocols.
This platform is fully-modular and composed of a set of magnetically-connected modules
that can be swapped within seconds to satisfy different application requirements and user needs.
There is a MAIN module serving as a pneumatic multiplexer with sensors,
and three PUMP modules of small, medium, and large dimensions.
This enables FlowIO to satisfy different needs for pressure,
flow rate, and size -- just by choosing the appropriate module.
Expansion modules and accessories provide additional sensing,
control, and mounting capabilities to allow easier integration of FlowIO into
various wearable and non wearable applications.
Shown here is the internal structure of FlowIO.
The MAIN module contains 7 valves with a custom driver board,
a Bluetooth-enabled microcontroller, and over a dozen different sensors.
The small PUMP module contains 2 pumps and power electronics.
Each of the two modules also contains its own battery and charging circuit.
The entire device weighs only 114 grams and can easily fit in the palm of one’s hand,
or inside a pocket.
Here, is a real-time comparison of the inflation
and vacuum capabilities between the small and the medium pump modules.
We also demonstrate how quickly and easily users can swap one set of pumps for another on-the-fly,
even when the device is ON, and without any interruption of the Bluetooth connection.
Additionally, each pump module supports 5 pneumatic configurations, including:
General, Series Inflation, Series Vacuum, Parallel Inflation, and Parallel Vacuum.
You can read more about each of these in the paper.
SOFTWARE
FlowIO comes with multiple libraries,
APIs, and a web-GUI, so that it is accessible to people from all technical backgrounds.
The GUI is built in JavaScript and implements the Web-Bluetooth protocol,
which allows users to control FlowIO directly from their web-browser,
from any bluetooth device, and without having to download or install anything.
To launch the graphical interface, users simply need to visit SoftRobotics.IO with
their Google Chrome web-browser, and click on GUI.
Supported are both open-loop and closed-loop control options.
Task scheduling is also possible, as shown on this example.
An interactive graphic shows the state of each each internal component
of a connected FlowIO device in real time.
Users can also write their OWN code for FlowIO.
Currently, APIs and Libraries have been developed for both Arduino and JavaScript.
While additional support for Python, Unity, and Scratch is planned for future development.
On the FlowIO website, you can will be able to find the complete API documentation,
as well as source code, libraries, and examples.
COMMUNITY
To date, FlowIO has enabled over a dozen people to prototype projects in a variety
of categories, including: interactivity, art, telepresence, locomotion, and more.
www.softrobotics.io is the community website for FlowIO, which I am still developing and updating
with projects, documentation, and instructional videos for replicating and using FlowIO.
You will also find forums where you can post questions or interact with other users.
My future vision is to extend FlowIO into a complete set of modular platforms
combining different actuation approaches, including magnetic, hydraulic, and tendon-driven.
And for them to all share a common API,
and be controllable from one graphical interface at www.softrobotics.io.
What would YOU create with FlowIO?