empty toothpaste tubes for air bladders ?

Posted by pogo on July 30, 2008, 7:55 pm

Has anyone made use of empty toothpaste tubes (plastic) for air bladders or
anything like that ? I'm thinking along the lines of
"air muscles", etc. ...

Just trying to "think out of the trashcan" !

JCDeen

Posted by BobH on July 31, 2008, 12:24 am

pogo wrote:

> Has anyone made use of empty toothpaste tubes (plastic) for air bladders
> or anything like that ? I'm thinking along the lines of "air muscles",
> etc. ...
>
> Just trying to "think out of the trashcan" !
>
> JCDeen

I have seen air muscles made out of the neoprene surgical tubing inside
a fine mesh/netting material. A prof at Arizona State University was
using them for prosthetic development.

Bob

Posted by steamer on July 31, 2008, 12:27 pm

--Festo Pneumatics makes these sort of things but I gotta say
they're energy-intensive, expensive and provide very little movement. Maybe
it's better to keep working on something that's not off-the-shelf. What's
your application? The toothpast tube idea sounds innnnnteresting!

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : "Hold on! we're passing
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : through the moronosphere!"
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

Posted by pogo on July 31, 2008, 7:44 pm

> pogo wrote:

>> Has anyone made use of empty toothpaste tubes (plastic) for air bladders
>> or anything like that ? I'm thinking along the lines of "air muscles",
>> etc. ...
>>
>> Just trying to "think out of the trashcan" !
>>
>> JCDeen

>
> I have seen air muscles made out of the neoprene surgical tubing inside
> a fine mesh/netting material. A prof at Arizona State University was
> using them for prosthetic development.
>
> Bob

Yeah - that's the idea I have, as well. Although I must admint that for now it
is a *very vague* idea !
JCD

Posted by cadcoke4 on July 31, 2008, 10:26 pm

"pogo" wrote:

> Has anyone made use of empty toothpaste tubes (plastic) for air bladders or

anything like that ?

>I'm thinking along the lines of "air muscles", etc. ...

Are you deliberately wanting trash? If not, perhaps a dollar-store
could be a cheap source of actuators.

The air-pump water rockets have air pumps that might be hackable into
pneumatic pistons. Also, balloon pumps. I've seen halloween haunted
house makers write article's on making your own pistons from PVC pipe.

Printer ink refill kits have a plastic bellows device to hold the
replacement ink.

I've always wanted to make something that used dryer vent hose as an
actuator. It is available in various sizes, but the smallest I've
seen in 3" diameter. 4" and 6" are more common....

Well, now you've got me thinking about this again, and I feel the need
to elaborate;

The idea is a pneumatic giant octopus tentacle. Take 3 of the dryer
vent hoses, and place them around a core made from plastic pool vacuum
hose. The 3 vent hoses around the perimeter should be about twice the
length of the core. Fasten the outer hoses by either wrapping with
wire or tape.

As air is pumped in, or sucked out of one or the other of the 3 outer
hoses, the arm will respond by curling.

The air source would need to be something like a shop vacuum. However,
I've also considered making a giant joystick by cutting a 30" diameter
disk of 1/2" plywood. Put a 6" long piece of 2x2 wood in the center to
act as a pivot. PUt a longer stick on the center going up to act as a
handle. Then place 3 pieces of 12" diameter vent hose, perhaps 12"
long each, under the plywood in 3 spots around the perimeter. As you
stand on the disk, you shift your weight from side-to-side and cause
the bellows underneath to push out or suck in air which you can pipe
to the tentacle.

For further refinement, you might use that hose down the center to
pump in air that gets used on another set of vent hoses further down
the tentacle. Then, where the 2nd stage gets used, you would need 3
butterfly valves (presumably actuated by R/C type servos) to control
the air flow into the end of the tentacle.

Part of the purpose of the vacuum hose down the center is to prevent
the tentacle from twisting. But, it may also be possible to omit it.
Then it would be possible to extend or contract the entire length of
the tentacle by blowing in or sucking out from all 3 chambers at the
same time.

Please let me know if you try this idea!

Joe Dunfee

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