A Foldable and Agile Soft Electromagnetic Robot for Multimodal Navigation in Confined and Unstructured Environments

TL;DR

This paper presents a compact, foldable soft electromagnetic robot capable of multimodal locomotion, including rapid mode transitions and high-speed movement, suitable for navigating complex, confined, and unstructured environments such as the human gastrointestinal tract.

Contribution

The development of a versatile, foldable soft electromagnetic robot with over nine locomotion modes and rapid transitions, advancing navigation in complex and confined biological environments.

Findings

Achieves high-speed rolling at 818 mm/s (26 BL/s).

Can fold to reduce volume by 79%, enabling navigation in tight spaces.

Successfully navigates complex terrains including obstacles and viscous fluids.

Abstract

Multimodal locomotion is crucial for an animal's adaptability in unstructured wild environments. Similarly, in the human gastrointestinal tract, characterized by viscoelastic mucus, complex rugae, and narrow sphincters like the cardia, multimodal locomotion is also essential for a small-scale soft robot to conduct tasks. Here, we introduce a small-scale compact, foldable, and robust soft electromagnetic robot (M-SEMR) with more than nine locomotion modes designed for such a scenario. Featuring a six-spoke elastomer body embedded with liquid metal channels and driven by Laplace forces under a static magnetic field, the M-SEMR is capable of rapid transitions (< 0.35 s) among different locomotion modes. It achieves exceptional agility, including high-speed rolling (818 mm/s, 26 BL/s), omnidirectional crawling, jumping, and swimming. Notably, the robot can fold to reduce its volume by 79%, enabling it to traverse confined spaces. We further validate its navigation capabilities on complex terrains, including discrete obstacles, viscoelastic gelatin surfaces, viscous fluids, and simulated biological tissues. This system offers a versatile strategy for developing high-mobility soft robots for future biomedical applications.