Demonstrating Xstrings: 3D Printing Cable-driven Mechanism for Actuation, Deformation, and Manipulation

Abstract

In this Demo, we present Xstrings, a method for designing and fabricating 3D printed objects with integrated cable-driven mechanisms that can be printed in one go without the need for manual assembly. Xstrings supports four types of cable-driven interactions—bend, coil, screw and compress—which are activated by applying an input force to the cables. To facilitate the design of Xstrings objects, we developed a design tool that allows users to embed cable-driven mechanisms into the object geometry based on the desired interaction by automatically placing joints and cables at the respective locations. The application potential of Xstrings is demonstrated through examples such as manipulable gripping, bionic robot manufacturing, and dynamic prototyping.