Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 4, 2025
08:22
A Novel Single Animal Motor Function Tracking System Using Simple, Readily Available Software
Published on: August 31, 2018
6.7K
A buckling-sheet ring oscillator for electronics-free, multimodal locomotion.
Won-Kyu Lee1, Daniel J Preston1,2, Markus P Nemitz1,2
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Science Robotics
|February 9, 2022
Summary
This study introduces a novel buckling-sheet ring oscillator (BRO) for soft robot locomotion. This simple, low-cost device generates complex movements from a single pressure input, enabling versatile motion on varied terrain.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Materials Science
- Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Soft robot locomotion often requires complex electronic control systems and hard valves.
- Existing soft pneumatic oscillators face limitations in airflow rate or fabrication complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel soft pneumatic oscillator for efficient soft robot locomotion.
- To create a device that simplifies control by generating complex movements from a single input pressure.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a pneumatic oscillator using flexible, inextensible sheets (acetate, nylon film, double-sided tape) and an elastomeric tube.
- Integration of three instabilities: out-of-plane buckling, tubing kinking, and a system-level instability from pneumatic inverters.
- Assembly into a "buckling-sheet ring oscillator" (BRO) for self-generated motion.
Main Results:
- The BRO achieves high airflow rates suitable for practical locomotion.
- The device enables both translational and rotational motion on varied terrain.
- The BRO facilitates locomotion against gravity and buoyant forces underwater.
Conclusions:
- The buckling-sheet ring oscillator offers a simple, low-cost, and effective solution for soft robot locomotion.
- This technology reduces the need for complex controllers, paving the way for more autonomous soft robots.
- The BRO's ability to generate movement through interaction with its environment is a significant advancement in soft robotics.
Related Concept Videos
01:09Torsional Pendulum
6.1K
A torsional pendulum involves the oscillation of a rigid body in which the restoring force is provided by the torsion in the string from which the rigid body is suspended. Ideally, the string should be massless; practically, its mass is much smaller than the rigid body's mass and is neglected.
As long as the rigid body's angular displacement is small, its oscillation can be modeled as a linear angular oscillation. The amplitude of the oscillation is an angle. The role of mass is played...
As long as the rigid body's angular displacement is small, its oscillation can be modeled as a linear angular oscillation. The amplitude of the oscillation is an angle. The role of mass is played...
6.1K
01:21Simple Harmonic Motion
11.0K
Simple harmonic motion is the name given to oscillatory motion for a system where the net force can be described by Hooke's law. If the net force can be described by Hooke's law and there is no damping (by friction or other non-conservative forces), then a simple harmonic oscillator will oscillate with equal displacement on either side of the equilibrium position. To derive an equation for period and frequency, the equation of motion is used. The period of a simple harmonic oscillator...
11.0K
01:19Electro-mechanical Systems
1.2K
Electromechanical systems are intricate configurations that effectively combine electrical and mechanical elements to achieve a desired outcome. Central to many of these systems is the DC motor, a device that converts electrical energy into mechanical motion, enabling various applications ranging from simple fans to complex robotic mechanisms.
A key component of the DC motor is the armature, a rotating circuit positioned within a magnetic field. As an electric current passes through the...
A key component of the DC motor is the armature, a rotating circuit positioned within a magnetic field. As an electric current passes through the...
1.2K
01:07Damped Oscillations
6.1K
In the real world, oscillations seldom follow true simple harmonic motion. A system that continues its motion indefinitely without losing its amplitude is termed undamped. However, friction of some sort usually dampens the motion, so it fades away or needs more force to continue. For example, a guitar string stops oscillating a few seconds after being plucked. Similarly, one must continually push a swing to keep a child swinging on a playground.
Although friction and other non-conservative...
Although friction and other non-conservative...
6.1K
01:42Simple Harmonic Motion and Uniform Circular Motion
4.7K
While simple harmonic motion and uniform circular motion may be two separate concepts, they correlate and interlink with each other. Simple harmonic motion is an oscillatory motion in a system where the net force can be described by Hooke's law, while uniform circular motion is the motion of an object in a circular path at constant speed.
There is an easy way to produce simple harmonic motion by using uniform circular motion. For instance, consider a ball attached to a uniformly rotating...
There is an easy way to produce simple harmonic motion by using uniform circular motion. For instance, consider a ball attached to a uniformly rotating...
4.7K
01:04Oscillations about an Equilibrium Position
5.7K
Stability is an important concept in oscillation. If an equilibrium point is stable, a slight disturbance of an object that is initially at the stable equilibrium point will cause the object to oscillate around that point. For an unstable equilibrium point, if the object is disturbed slightly, it will not return to the equilibrium point. There are three conditions for equilibrium points—stable, unstable, and half-stable. A half-stable equilibrium point is also unstable, but is named so...
5.7K