Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Manufacturing, Control, and Performance Evaluation of a Gecko-Inspired Soft Robot
Published on: June 10, 2020
A Soft Tube-Climbing Robot
Mohit S Verma1, Alar Ainla1, Dian Yang1,2
11 Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University , Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Abstract:
This article demonstrates a pneumatically actuated soft robot capable of navigating the inside of a tube. This robot was built using buckling pneumatic actuators (vacuum-actuated muscle-inspired pneumatic structures, or VAMPs). The tube climber can navigate through a tube with turns, inclines, and varying diameters. The robot is also able to remove obstacles (of more than 10 times its own weight) from tubes to perform a clearing function. It maintains climbing and clearing performance in wet conditions and under water. The tube climber is lightweight and completely soft and thus has the potential to be collaborative (i.e., work with humans) and also to interact safely with delicate environments.
Related Concept Videos
Hydraulic Jump: Problem Solving
Rolling Resistance: Problem Solving
Torque Free Motion
Actin Treadmilling
Steady, Laminar Flow in Circular Tubes
Rolling Without Slipping

