Cushion: soft-robotics simulation in Grasshopper

Project Description

Cushion is a Grasshopper plugin to make SOFA more approachable and part of the soft robotic design process.

GitHub repository

Model a soft-robot using the parametric and algorithmic tools offered by Grasshopper: define a deformable body, drive it with pneumatic cavities or tendons, and set an actuation protocol. Cushion then meshes the geometry, runs the SOFA soft-body simulation, and brings the results back onto the canvas. Authors have been using this workflow in our recent works to have fast iterations before trial-and-error printing, and it’s great to see it formalized as a plugin.

Free and open source, available now on food4Rhino and GitHub. Download it, try the examples, and I look forward to seeing how people use it.

Related publications

Monolithic Units: Actuation, Sensing, and Simulation for Integrated Soft Robot Design, Trevor Exley, Anderson Brazil Nardin, et al.

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