Soft Robotic Tongue that Mimicking English Pronunciation Movements 1st report: Design and Simulation

The purpose of this research is to develop the soft robotic tongue to mimic the movements of English pronunciation aiming at the learning support for English pronunciation. The structure consists of three primary soft actuators. The material applied to the tongue system and the actuator is an Ecoflex 00-30 elastomer. Finite Element Methods (FEM) simulations were conducted to confirm the deformation patterns and compare the results from the 3D animated software Pronunciation Coach 3D. The results show that the bend, bulge, and flap deformation are close to the 3D animated software demonstration with a pressure of 120 kPa. However, the pressure parameter needs an adjustment so the velocity of the tongue model can follow human tongue movements.