A controllable air source that sucks as well as it blows.

https://github.com/tinkrmind/programmable-air

Description

The field of inflatable robotics is still in its infancy. So there are a lot of low hanging fruit up for grabs. As such, the more people involved in active experimentation, the faster the field will mature.

Working with inflatables involves a lot of prototyping as a part of the design process. To do any repeatable experiments with inflatables, a controllable air source is required.

I feel there isn't any affordable and easy to use programmable air source available for makers right now. This is a barrier to entry. Programmable Air is my attempt to create a bottom of the line air source that is cheaper and easier to use than anything available right now.

During the spring show, I will have a few fun configurations of programmable air like a balloon, vacuum gripper, SMD pick and place, a soft silicone robot ready for users to play with. But I'm looking for user feedback on what they'd want to use it for. And I would be looking for collaborators to contribute to the project.

Classes

Soft Robots and Other Engineered Softness