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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 2, 2025

Manufacturing, Control, and Performance Evaluation of a Gecko-Inspired Soft Robot

Manufacturing, Control, and Performance Evaluation of a Gecko-Inspired Soft Robot

Published on: June 10, 2020

Insect-scale fast moving and ultrarobust soft robot.

Yichuan Wu^1,2,3, Justin K Yim⁴, Jiaming Liang^1,2,3

¹Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.

Science Robotics

|November 2, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces a novel soft robot capable of high-speed locomotion and remarkable robustness, inspired by insect and cockroach movement. Its unique curved piezoelectric structure enables it to withstand significant weight and climb slopes.

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Area of Science:

Robotics
Materials Science
Biomimetics

Background:

Soft robots offer potential for combined mobility and robustness.
Existing artificial insect-scale robots lack sufficient speed and durability for practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a soft robot with enhanced mobility and robustness.
To investigate the performance of a curved unimorph piezoelectric structure for robotic locomotion.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of soft robots utilizing a curved unimorph piezoelectric structure.
Testing locomotion speed, load-carrying capacity, and robustness against external forces.
Analysis of the large amplitude vibration generated by the piezoelectric structure.

Main Results:

Achieved a relative speed of 20 body lengths per second, the fastest recorded for artificial insect-scale robots.
Demonstrated ability to carry loads and climb slopes, mimicking animal locomotion.
Exhibited exceptional robustness, surviving a weight equivalent to an adult human footstep.

Conclusions:

The curved unimorph piezoelectric structure enables high-speed locomotion and superior robustness in soft robots.
This design advances beyond existing methods by utilizing large amplitude vibrations.
The principles can be optimized for improved performance and applied to other flexible devices.