An Inchworm-Inspired Fast-Moving Micro Flexible Robot for Autonomous Terrain-Adaptive Exploration

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Soft robots offer unique advantages in exploration due to their compliance and adaptability.
• Integrating motion sensing enhances feedback and environmental monitoring capabilities for soft robotic systems.
• Existing soft robots face limitations in speed, load-bearing, and adaptability to diverse terrains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an inchworm-like miniature soft robot with rapid locomotion and autonomous terrain adaptation.
• To leverage enhanced geometric nonlinearity and electroadhesive forces for efficient robot movement.
• To equip the soft robot with motion sensing for real-time position detection and environmental mapping.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a piezoelectric driving body with an enhanced geometric nonlinearity model for significant deformation.
• Incorporated electroadhesive pads to generate adhesive forces for locomotion on various substrates.
• Integrated an inertial measurement unit (IMU) system for motion sensing and environmental mapping.

Main Results:

• Achieved maximum locomotion speed of 1.93 body lengths per second on diverse substrates.
• Demonstrated robust load-bearing capacity (6.8 g payload, 8.35x robot weight) and resistance to external forces.
• Successfully navigated challenging terrains including rough surfaces, narrow gaps, steps, and slopes up to 28°.

Conclusions:

• The developed soft robot exhibits high speed, exceptional robustness, and remarkable environmental adaptability.
• The combination of piezoelectric actuation, electroadhesion, and IMU-based motion sensing enables autonomous exploration.
• This work significantly advances the potential applications of soft robots in complex and unstructured environments.