A Predictive Design Framework for a Soft Robotic Ventricle using Contractile Actuators

Abstract

The natural cardiac cycle is divided into the systole and diastole phases which encompass four distinct stages: isovolumetric contraction and ejection during systole, followed by isovolumetric relaxation and filling during diastole. Cardiovascular modeling of this cycle ranges from high-fidelity multiphysics simulations to reduced-order lumped-parameter (Windkessel) representation of the heart-artery coupling. However, current models do not relate the mechanics of the actuator driving the ventricle pump to the hemodynamics. In this study, we develop and experimentally validate a predictive design framework for ventricle-like pumps using various types of soft contractile actuators. We build a circulatory loop which reproduces the entire loop including the isovolumetric phases-where pressure changes occur without volume shifts. The framework is based on a lumped-parameter model, hereafter referred to as the phase-dependent Actuator-driven Windkessel 3-element (AWK3) model, to bridge soft actuator mechanics to the cardiac pressure-volume (P-V) loop. Unlike traditional models that require either pressure or volume as a fixed input to estimate the other, our proposed model predicts both variables when informed by the isometric characteristics of the actuators. We validate the model using a ventricle-inspired pump driven by a linear contractile series-elastic actuator or twisted and coiled polymer actuators (TCPA). We relate the actuator isometric testing protocol to the phase-dependent AWK3 model, which replicates the Frank-Starling law, accurately describing cardiac behavior under varying conditions of preload, afterload, and inotropy (contractility). This approach provides a robust platform for the design and high-fidelity control of bio-inspired soft robotic circulatory systems.

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Cite

BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@misc{kim2026predictive,
  title = {{A Predictive Design Framework for a Soft Robotic Ventricle using Contractile Actuators}},
  author = {Jeongmin Kim and Qiong Wang and Liuyang Cheng and Samuel Tsai and Seong Hyeon Kim and Harma K. Turbendian and Sameh Tawfick},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.09706},
  eprint = {2609.09706},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.09706},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - UNPB
TI  - A Predictive Design Framework for a Soft Robotic Ventricle using Contractile Actuators
AU  - Jeongmin Kim
AU  - Qiong Wang
AU  - Liuyang Cheng
AU  - Samuel Tsai
AU  - Seong Hyeon Kim
AU  - Harma K. Turbendian
AU  - Sameh Tawfick
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/09
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.09706
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.09706
AB  - The natural cardiac cycle is divided into the systole and diastole phases which encompass four distinct stages: isovolumetric contraction and ejection during systole, followed by isovolumetric relaxation and filling during diastole. Cardiovascular modeling of this cycle ranges from high-fidelity multiphysics simulations to reduced-order lumped-parameter (Windkessel) representation of the heart-artery coupling. However, current models do not relate the mechanics of the actuator driving the ventricle pump to the hemodynamics. In this study, we develop and experimentally validate a predictive design framework for ventricle-like pumps using various types of soft contractile actuators. We build a circulatory loop which reproduces the entire loop including the isovolumetric phases-where pressure changes occur without volume shifts. The framework is based on a lumped-parameter model, hereafter referred to as the phase-dependent Actuator-driven Windkessel 3-element (AWK3) model, to bridge soft actuator mechanics to the cardiac pressure-volume (P-V) loop. Unlike traditional models that require either pressure or volume as a fixed input to estimate the other, our proposed model predicts both variables when informed by the isometric characteristics of the actuators. We validate the model using a ventricle-inspired pump driven by a linear contractile series-elastic actuator or twisted and coiled polymer actuators (TCPA). We relate the actuator isometric testing protocol to the phase-dependent AWK3 model, which replicates the Frank-Starling law, accurately describing cardiac behavior under varying conditions of preload, afterload, and inotropy (contractility). This approach provides a robust platform for the design and high-fidelity control of bio-inspired soft robotic circulatory systems.
ER  -

Abstract

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