DESIGN, FABRICATION AND TESTING OF PNEUMATIC MUSCLE ACTUATOR FOR ARTIFICIAL HUMAN ARM

This paper provides detailed design and characterisation of the Pneumatic Muscle Actuator (PMA) proposed for actuating an artificial human arm. The anatomy and the load carrying capacity of the human arm are considered for designing the PMA. The PMA is fabricated using the braided sleeve and latex tubes, and a pneumatic circuit is designed for its characterisation. The proposed artificial human arm with PMA can be used as a teaching aid to simulate neurological disorders.