ESPOCH. Chacha Edgar., The Air Muscle- Shadow Hand.

Chacha, Edgar.
andreschm92@gmail.com
ESPOCH

The Air Muscle Shadow Hand

AbstractThe Air Muscle is an extraordinary actuator

that is small, light, simple and friendly. It is soft, has no
stiction, and is easily controllable and exceptionally powerful.
It is a linear actuator, producing motion along a straight line
and opening a whole new range of design possibilities.
Index of Terms air muscles, contraction, hall-effect,
pneumatic valve, pressure.
I. INTRODUCTION
Shadow Robot Company in 2002 launched his
Shadow Hand, one of the most advanced robotic
hands of the market. It is a hand similar dimensions
to those of a human hand, with five fingers, 24
degrees of freedom and 40 pneumatic actuators,
called air muscles which are located in the forearm.
Information about the position of the fingers is
provided by a number of integrated hall-effect
sensors in the joints. Also has pressure sensors in
each muscle.
II. CHARACTERISTICS
The Shadow 30mm Air Muscle is a simple yet
powerful device for providing a pulling force. It
behaves in a very similar way to a biological
muscle. When actuated with a supply of compressed
air, it contracts by up to 37% of its original length.
The force it provides decreases as it contracts, and
the first few percent of the contraction is very
powerful indeed.
The simplest use of a muscle is to move a lever.
One muscle will pull the lever in one direction, and
a spring can return it. Two muscles will allow the
lever to be pulled in either direction, with
considerable force. Because the muscle contracts
over a known distance, it can be used to provide a
safe movement. There is no need to ensure that the
lever is not going to be rotated beyond its end-stop,
since the muscle will only move the lever to its set
up angle.

Fundamentals of robotics

Figure 1. Shadow Hand

A. Features
Lightweight: Air Muscles weigh between
10g and 150g, depending on size
particularly useful for weight critical
applications. The 30mm Air muscle weighs
80g.
Smooth: Unlike pneumatic cylinders, Air
Muscles have no stiction, and an immediate
response. This results in a smooth natural
movement.
Flexible: Air Muscles need no precise
aligning.
Powerful: Air muscles produce forces up to
700 N at pressures of only a few bar.

B. Dimensions
Extended
These measurements are taken when the muscle is
fully stretched out, under a load of at least 50N, and
a pressure of 0 bar.
Hole Hole Spacing - 290mm
Total Muscle Length - 250mm
Active Length 230mm
Figure 2. Dimensions of the Standard Shadow 30mm
Air Muscle when fully extended.

The Hole-Hole spacing is the distance between

the holes in the fittings at either end of the muscle.
This is adjustable, as the fittings can be screwed in

ESPOCH. Chacha Edgar., The Air Muscle- Shadow Hand.

or out. They can also be removed entirely, creating a

more compact muscle.
The Total Muscle Length is the length of the
whole muscle, excluding the fittings.
The Active Length is the length of the part of the
muscle which contracts under pressure, and does
not include the headers.

Figure 4. Muscle headers and fittings.

Contracted
These measurements are taken when the muscle is
pressurised to 3bar, with a load of 50N.
Hole Hole Spacing - 220mm
Total Muscle Length - 180mm
Active Length 160mm

C. Pneumatic Setup
In a typical situation, a muscle requires two
pneumatic valves to operate. One valve lets air into
the muscle, the other lets air out. By controlling the
opening of each valve, it is possible to set the
desired contraction of the muscle.

Figure 3. Dimensions of the Standard Shadow 30mm Air

Muscle when fully contracted

Headers and Fittings

The header at each end of the muscle consists of
an Aluminium ring, and a Delrin plastic bong, with
an M10 female thread. This thread can be used as a
means of attachment, and to allow air into or out of
the muscle.
The muscle is supplied with two Delrin fittings,
one of which comes with a 6mm push-fit connector.

Fundamentals of robotics

Figure 5. Standard Pneumatic Setup

If you require the maximum speed of

contraction/extension, you should select high
throughput valves, and attach them as close as
possible to the muscle, using the largest bore tube
possible. Typically, you can expect the muscle to
contract within about 0.5s, depending on conditions.
If conditions are optimal, it is possible to achieve
contraction times as low as 0.1s.
If require a slower, or more controlled movement,
you should consider adding air restrictors into the
tubes. This way, it is possible to slow the movement

ESPOCH. Chacha Edgar., The Air Muscle- Shadow Hand.

to anything, down to a standstill. One great

advantage of Air Muscles is their ability to move
extremely smoothly, even at very slow speeds.
III. CONCLUSIONS
The air muscle has great strength using a few bars
of pressure, one of these muscles is capable of
performing a linear movement, but being two can
generate a movement in any direction according to
our needs.
The characteristics of the air muscle have a
dynamic behavior, producing up to 700 N of force
with a small contraction and its construction does
not require a specific alignment.
Air muscles need two valves for contraction and
expansion of artificial muscle, a movement can be
generated in 0.1 to 0.5 s depending if you are
working in good condition, but you can make more
slow and controlled movements by air restrictors.

Fundamentals of robotics

REFERENCES

[1] Shadow Robot Company, Shadow Air Muscles, 2015.

[Online].
Available:
http://www.shadowrobot.com/products/air-muscles/
[2] Shadow Robot Company, Shadow 30mm Air Muscle Specification.
2011.
[Online].
Available:
http://www.shadowrobot.com/products/air-muscles/
[3] A. Villoslada, Diseo y aplicacin de un actuador SMA
en el control de manos robticas, Universidad Carlos III,
Madrid,
Espaa,
2010.
[Online].
Available:
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