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Related Concept Videos

Rolling Resistance: Problem Solving01:17

Rolling Resistance: Problem Solving

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Rolling resistance, also known as rolling friction, is the force that resists the motion of a rolling object, such as a wheel, tire, or ball, when it moves over a surface. It is caused by the deformation of the object and the surface in contact with each other, as well as other factors like internal friction, hysteresis, and energy losses within the materials. Rolling resistance opposes the object's motion, requiring additional energy to overcome it and maintain movement. In practical...
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People have observed the rolling motion without slipping ever since the invention of the wheel. For example, one can look at the interaction between a car's tires and the surface of the road. If the driver presses the accelerator to the floor so that the tires spin without the car moving forward, there must be kinetic friction between the wheels and the road's surface. If the driver slowly presses the accelerator, causing the car to move forward, the tires roll without slipping. It is...
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Rolling with slipping is a physical phenomenon that occurs when a rolling object experiences both rotational and linear motion but also experiences frictional forces that cause slipping. This phenomenon can occur in various situations, such as when a tire rolls on a wet road or a ball rolls on a rough surface.
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When a solid cylinder rolls steadily on a rigid surface, the normal force applied by the surface on the cylinder is perpendicular to the tangent at the contact point. However, since no materials are entirely rigid, the surface's reaction to the cylinder involves a range of normal pressures.
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The torque-free motion refers to the movement of a rigid body in space when no external torques are acting upon it. This type of motion can be observed in environments where there are no external forces or frictions, like in outer space. For example, a rotation of Mars in space is a torque-free motion. Mars is an axisymmetric object, meaning it has an axis of symmetry along which it rotates, designated as the z-axis. The rotating frame of reference is defined such that the center of mass of...
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Soft Tubular-Surface Rolling Robots.

Zihao Yuan1, Feifei Chen1,2, Xinjia Huang1

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.

Soft Robotics
|November 3, 2025
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces a novel soft robot that mimics Drosophila larvae by rolling up tubular surfaces using internal muscle actuation. This soft robot achieves continuous, non-coaxial rolling for adaptable and rapid navigation in complex pipe environments.

Keywords:
biomimetic robotspneumatic actuationrolling mechanismsoft locomotiontubular-surface robots

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Area of Science:

  • Robotics
  • Soft Robotics
  • Bio-inspired Engineering

Background:

  • Soft organisms like Drosophila larvae exhibit efficient locomotion on tubular surfaces.
  • Replicating this rolling locomotion in soft robots remains a significant challenge.
  • Existing soft robots often rely on gravity or external mechanisms for tubular navigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a single-piece soft robot capable of self-propelled rolling locomotion on tubular structures.
  • To investigate a novel non-coaxial rolling mechanism driven by sequential muscle actuation.
  • To enhance the robot's adaptability and grip for navigating diverse and complex tubular geometries.

Main Methods:

  • Designing and fabricating a single-piece soft robot with integrated axial muscles.
  • Implementing sequential actuation of muscles to generate distributed spinning torques.
  • Actively adjusting robot deformation and gripping force for surface adaptation.
  • Testing the robot's performance on various tubular structures (varying diameter, spiral, non-cylindrical) and terrains.

Main Results:

  • The soft robot successfully achieved continuous, non-coaxial rolling along tubular surfaces.
  • The novel rolling mechanism enabled swift navigation independent of gravity.
  • The robot demonstrated adaptability to diverse pipe geometries, confined spaces, and terrain transitions.
  • Active control of deformation and grip enhanced stability and maneuverability.

Conclusions:

  • A novel soft robot design utilizing sequential muscle actuation enables efficient, non-coaxial rolling locomotion.
  • This bio-inspired approach overcomes limitations of current soft robotic locomotion methods for tubular environments.
  • The robot's adaptability and performance highlight its potential for inspection, maintenance, and exploration in complex, confined spaces.