Origami-Inspired Vacuum-Actuated Foldable Actuator Enabled Biomimetic Worm-like Soft Crawling Robot

Area of Science:

• Biomimetic Engineering
• Robotics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Soft crawling robots (SCRs) offer significant potential in biomimetic engineering due to their adaptability and safety.
• Existing SCRs often face limitations in speed, maneuverability, and environmental adaptability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an origami-inspired vacuum-actuated foldable soft crawling robot (OVFSCR) with enhanced locomotion capabilities.
• To investigate the biomimetic principles underlying the robot's movement, inspired by soft biological organisms.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of an OVFSCR using soft foldable mirrored origami actuators with a Kresling crease pattern.
• Implementation of vacuum actuation and an asymmetric structural design for unidirectional movement.
• Development of an efficient dynamic model to analyze and predict the robot's motion.

Main Results:

• The OVFSCR demonstrated multimodal locomotion, including crawling (11.9 mm/s), climbing a 3° slope, and navigating complex environments like tubes.
• The robot exhibited periodic foldable and restorable body deformation, mimicking biological worm locomotion.
• Successful payload carrying and obstacle removal capabilities were observed.

Conclusions:

• The OVFSCR presents a novel approach to soft robotics, integrating origami principles with vacuum actuation for versatile movement.
• The robot's design and performance highlight the potential for biomimetic soft robots in exploration and inspection tasks.
• This research paves the way for practical applications of soft robots in challenging and uncharted territories.