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Shen D, Zhang Q, Han Y, Tu C, Wang X. Design and Development of a Continuum Robot with Switching-Stiffness. Soft Robot 2023; 10:1015-1027. [PMID: 37184583 DOI: 10.1089/soro.2022.0179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Continuum robots have the advantages of agility and adaptability. However, existing continuum robots have limitations of low stiffness and complex motion modes, and the existing variable stiffness methods cannot achieve a wide range of stiffness changes and fast switching stiffness simultaneously. A continuum robot structure, switching stiffness method, and motion principle are proposed in this article. The continuum robot is made up of three segments connected in series. Each segment comprises multiple spherical joints connected in series, and the joints can be locked by their respective airbag. A valve controls each airbag, quickly switching the segment between rigidity and flexibility. The motion of the segments is driven by three cables that run through the robot. The segment steers only when it is unlocked. When a segment becomes locked, it acts as a rigid body. As a result, by locking and unlocking each segment in sequence, the cables can alternately drive all the segments. The stiffness variation and movement of the continuum robot were tested. The segment's stiffness varies from 36.89 to 1300.95 N/m and the stiffness switching time is 0.25-0.48 s. The time-sharing control mode of segment stiffness and motion is validated by establishing a specific test platform and a mathematical model. The continuum robot's flexibility is demonstrated by controlling the fast bending of different segments sequentially.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghua Shen
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Nanjing, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- School of Automation, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
| | - Yali Han
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Nanjing, China
| | - Chunlei Tu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- Special Equipment Safety Supervision Inspection Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, China
| | - Xingsong Wang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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Asawalertsak N, Heims F, Kovalev A, Gorb SN, Jørgensen J, Manoonpong P. Frictional Anisotropic Locomotion and Adaptive Neural Control for a Soft Crawling Robot. Soft Robot 2023; 10:545-555. [PMID: 36459126 DOI: 10.1089/soro.2022.0004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Crawling animals with bendable soft bodies use the friction anisotropy of their asymmetric body structures to traverse various substrates efficiently. Although the effect of friction anisotropy has been investigated and applied to robot locomotion, the dynamic interactions between soft body bending at different frequencies (low and high), soft asymmetric surface structures at various aspect ratios (low, medium, and high), and different substrates (rough and smooth) have not been studied comprehensively. To address this lack, we developed a simple soft robot model with a bioinspired asymmetric structure (sawtooth) facing the ground. The robot uses only a single source of pressure for its pneumatic actuation. The frequency, teeth aspect ratio, and substrate parameters and the corresponding dynamic interactions were systematically investigated and analyzed. The study findings indicate that the anterior and posterior parts of the structure deform differently during the interaction, generating different frictional forces. In addition, these parts switched their roles dynamically from push to pull and vice versa in various states, resulting in the robot's emergent locomotion. Finally, autonomous adaptive crawling behavior of the robot was demonstrated using sensor-driven neural control with a miniature laser sensor installed in the anterior part of the robot. The robot successfully adapted its actuation frequency to reduce body bending and crawl through a narrow space, such as a tunnel. The study serves as a stepping stone for developing simple soft crawling robots capable of navigating cluttered and confined spaces autonomously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naris Asawalertsak
- Bio-inspired Robotics and Neural Engineering Laboratory, School of Information Science and Technology, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology, Rayong, Thailand
| | - Franziska Heims
- Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Alexander Kovalev
- Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Stanislav N Gorb
- Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jonas Jørgensen
- Center for Soft Robotics, SDU Biorobotics, The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Poramate Manoonpong
- Bio-inspired Robotics and Neural Engineering Laboratory, School of Information Science and Technology, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology, Rayong, Thailand
- Embodied AI and Neurorobotics Laboratory, SDU Biorobotics, The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
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Abstract
Pipe inspection and maintenance are necessary to prevent economic and casualty losses due to leakage of fluids from damaged pipes. In-pipe soft robots made of highly deformable materials have been proposed to meet the needs, yet most of those comprise multiple segments and require multiple actuators controlled independently, resulting in less compact structures and more demanding control schemes. In this study, we harness the highly nonlinear buckling of elastic ribbons and bioinspired artificial muscles to significantly enhance the crawling capability of a single-actuator soft robot. Our prototype robot consists of a McKibben pneumatic actuator surrounded by three longitudinally arranged elastic ribbons. These tailored ribbons are three-dimensional (3D) printed and can be buckled into highly deformed 3D shapes upon inflation of the actuator. First, we show that the robot exhibits strong anisotropic friction when fully buckled. Then, we demonstrate that by simple open-loop on/off control, our robot achieves robust crawling in horizontal, vertical, bent pipes and even wet pipes partially or filled with water. It can also adapt to pipes with some variations in diameter. Using only one actuator lowers the complexity of robot structure and pneumatic system, offering high potential for new applications at different scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Lin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Xian Xu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jia-Yang Juang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Program in Nanoengineering and Nanoscience, Graduate School of Advanced Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Yaqoob B, Rodella A, Del Dottore E, Mondini A, Mazzolai B, Pugno NM. Mechanics and optimization of undulatory locomotion in different environments, tuning geometry, stiffness, damping and frictional anisotropy. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20220875. [PMID: 36751930 PMCID: PMC9905976 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the oldest yet most common modalities of locomotion known among limbless animals is undulatory, also recognized for its stability compared to legged locomotion. Multiple forms of active mechanisms, e.g. active gait control, and passive mechanisms, e.g. body morphology and material properties, have adapted to different environments. The current research explores the passive role of body stiffness and internal losses in meeting terrain requirements. Furthermore, it addresses the influence of the environment on the resultant gait and how the interplay between various environments and body properties can lead to different speeds. We modelled undulatory locomotion in a dry friction environment where frictional anisotropy determines propulsion. We found that the body stiffness, the moment of inertia, the dry frictional coefficient ratio between normal and tangential frictional constants, and the internal damping of the body play an essential role in optimizing speed and animal adaptability to external conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that various known gaits like swimming, crawling and polychaete-like locomotion are achieved as a result of the interaction between body and environment parameters. Moreover, we validated the model by retrieving a corn snake's speed using data from the literature. This study demonstrates that the dependence between morphology, body material properties and environment can be exploited to design long-segmented robots to perform in specialized situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basit Yaqoob
- Laboratory for Bioinspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials and Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy
- Laboratory of Bioinspired Soft Robotics, Center for Convergent Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Andrea Rodella
- Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuela Del Dottore
- Laboratory of Bioinspired Soft Robotics, Center for Convergent Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Alessio Mondini
- Laboratory of Bioinspired Soft Robotics, Center for Convergent Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Barbara Mazzolai
- Laboratory of Bioinspired Soft Robotics, Center for Convergent Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Nicola M. Pugno
- Laboratory for Bioinspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials and Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy
- School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
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Bioinspired 3D-Printed Snakeskins Enable Effective Serpentine Locomotion of a Soft Robotic Snake. Soft Robot 2022. [DOI: 10.1089/soro.2022.0051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
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Liu Y, Dai X, Wang Z, Bi Q, Song R, Zhao J, Li Y. A Tensegrity-Based Inchworm-Like Robot for Crawling in Pipes With Varying Diameters. IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2022. [DOI: 10.1109/lra.2022.3203585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yixiang Liu
- School of Control Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaolin Dai
- School of Control Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Zhe Wang
- School of Control Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Qing Bi
- Volvo Construction Equipment Technology (China) Co., Ltd, Jinan, China
| | - Rui Song
- School of Control Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Jie Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Yibin Li
- School of Control Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China
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