Architectures of Soft Robotic Locomotion Enabled by Simple Mechanical Principles

TL;DR

This paper introduces a variety of soft robotic locomotion designs based on simple mechanical principles, inspired by biological systems, enabling diverse movement modes with high efficiency and adaptability in complex environments.

Contribution

It presents a broad set of innovative, simple mechanical designs for soft robots that achieve multiple locomotion modes inspired by biological systems, expanding the possibilities for soft robotic mobility.

Findings

Over 20 locomotion modes demonstrated, including crawling, swimming, and jumping.

Some designs achieve high speed and obstacle overcoming capabilities.

The models are simple, robust, and adaptable to complex environments.

Abstract

In nature, a variety of limbless locomotion patterns flourish from the small or basic life form (Escherichia coli, the amoeba, etc.) to the large or intelligent creatures (e.g., slugs, starfishes, earthworms, octopuses, jellyfishes, and snakes). Many bioinspired soft robots based on locomotion have been developed in the past decades. In this work, based on the kinematics and dynamics of two representative locomotion modes (i.e., worm-like crawling and snake-like slithering), we propose a broad set of innovative designs for soft mobile robots through simple mechanical principles. Inspired by and go beyond existing biological systems, these designs include 1-D (dimensional), 2-D, and 3-D robotic locomotion patterns enabled by simple actuation of continuous beams. We report herein over 20 locomotion modes achieving various locomotion functions, including crawling, rising, running, creeping, squirming, slithering, swimming, jumping, turning, turning over, helix rolling, wheeling, etc. Some of them are able to reach high speed, high efficiency, and overcome obstacles. All these locomotion strategies and functions can be integrated into a simple beam model. The proposed simple and robust models are adaptive for severe and complex environments. These elegant designs for diverse robotic locomotion patterns are expected to underpin future deployments of soft robots and to inspire series of advanced designs.