Bioinspired Amphibious Origami Robot with Body Sensing for Multimodal Locomotion.

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Bioinspired Engineering
• Soft Robotics

Background:

• Animals inspire robotic designs for multimodal locomotion due to versatile limbs.
• Conventional soft robots face challenges in actuation and multimodal movement.
• Origami robots offer advantages for imitating animal movements but require advanced design and sensing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel bioinspired amphibious origami robot with integrated body sensing for multimodal locomotion.
• To overcome the challenges in designing, sensing, and actuating origami robots for diverse environments.
• To enable robots to perform complex morphologic deformations for land and water movement.

Main Methods:

• Developed a unique origami body with legs and arms inspired by inchworm peristalsis and human swimming.
• Integrated highly stretchable and foldable layer resistive sensors with conductive polymers for body sensing.
• Implemented a self-designed pneumatic system for efficient control of high degrees-of-freedom (DOFs).

Main Results:

• The fabricated origami robot demonstrated successful amphibious locomotion, including crawling, turning, and swimming.
• The integrated sensors enabled obstacle detection and environmental awareness.
• The pneumatic control system efficiently managed the robot's complex movements.

Conclusions:

• The developed origami robot represents a significant advancement in bioinspired design, actuation, and sensing for multimodal locomotion.
• This work contributes to the field of soft robotics and opens possibilities for broadly practical applications.
• The successful amphibious capabilities highlight the potential of origami-based robots in diverse environments.