Embroidery Actuator Utilizing Embroidery Patterns to Generate Diverse Fabric Deformations

Abstract: This paper presents a novel Embroidery Actuator, a fabric-integrated pneumatic actuator that enables diverse and controllable deformations through embroidery pattern design. Unlike conventional fabric actuators that rely on fiber- or thread-shaped actuators, the proposed actuator is fabricated by directly stitching an inflatable tube onto the fabric using a cord-embroidery technique. The embroidered thread and the fabric jointly form a sleeve that constrains the expansion of the inflatable tube, converting internal pressure into targeted bending or stretching deformations. By varying the embroidery pattern, such as zigzag or cross configurations, different geometric constraints can be realized, allowing for flexible control of deformation direction and magnitude. Analytical deformation models based on the Neo-Hookean model and Lagrange's equations were developed to predict the relationship between pneumatic pressure and bending angle, and were experimentally validated using motion-capture measurements. The results demonstrated that the actuator achieves strong agreement with the analytical deformation model.