Utilization of fibreglass moulding process for fabricating outer appearance of humanoid robots

Abstract

Fibreglass is a widely utilized material for structural fabrication due to its lightweight, high strength-to-weight ratio, thermal, electrical, and corrosion resistance properties. In this regard, the fibreglass moulding process allows the fabrication of complex customized designs with aesthetic appearance. This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for fabricating the outer appearance of customized humanoid robots. The proposed approach comprises 3D modelling, constructing reference lines for the mould, assembling reference structure, creating mould, and master mould, along with extracting the final outer shell using fibreglass. This process can be applicable in fabricating customized, complex-shaped large-sized robots along with reusable moulds for both bulk and small-scale fabrications. The paper explicitly documents the overall process and validates the methodology by applying the proposed procedure to fabricate the outer appearance of a real-world humanoid robot.