Patent ID: 8307753

Claim:
A fluidic artificial muscle actuator comprised of: a pressure bladder comprising an elastic wall open at opposing terminal ends and enclosing an internal volume there between; a pair of axisymmetric end fittings, each end fitting having a substantially cylindrical first clamping region of a first diameter stepped to a substantially cylindrical second clamping region of a second diameter greater than said first diameter, the first clamping regions of said pair of end fittings being inserted into a respective open terminal end of said pressure bladder; a braided sleeve about said pressure bladder and encircling the first clamping regions of both of said end fittings; and a pair of substantially cylindrical swage tubes each encircling both of said first and second clamping regions of a respective end fitting and compressing a terminal end of said pressure bladder and a terminal end of said braided sleeve about the first clamping region of said end fitting by uniform radial compression; said pair of swage tubes being clamped about their respective end fittings, pressure bladder and braided sleeve by a radial swaging process that plastically deforms the swage tubes about said end fittings to define a smooth, substantially cylindrical surface.