A new soft robot inspired by the biology of earthworms has been developed by the BioInspired Soft robotics lab at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT). The robot’s flexible and stretchable body uses soft actuators that generate physical traveling waves, similar to how earthworms move, allowing it to crawl and explore confined spaces and uneven terrain. The lab’s aim is to create robots that mimic nature while uncovering new biological phenomena and developing new technologies.
The earthworm-like robot was designed after a thorough study of earthworm locomotion mechanics, which involves the use of alternating muscle contractions to generate retrograde peristaltic waves. The robot’s segmented body also has fluid that controls internal pressure to exert forces and perform localized and variable movement patterns. This design is expected to have applications in underground exploration, search and rescue operations, and planetary exploration.
A recently published article in Scientific Reports describes a new prototype of a soft robot inspired by earthworms. This prototype is the starting point for developing devices that can explore underground tunnels and pipes, conduct search and rescue operations in confined spaces, and even explore other planets. The BioInspired Soft robotics lab, led by Barbara Mazzolai, aims to take inspiration from nature and reveal new biological phenomena while creating innovative technologies, with this earthworm-like robot being the lab’s latest invention.
Many animals, including snakes, earthworms, snails, and caterpillars, use their body’s flexibility and the ability to generate physical traveling waves to move and explore different environments. Some of their movements resemble those of plant roots. By understanding and applying the mechanics of earthworm locomotion, the researchers were able to create a robot that uses alternating contractions of muscle layers to generate retrograde peristaltic waves, allowing it to propel itself both below and above the soil surface. Each segment of the robot’s body has a specific quantity of fluid that controls internal pressure, allowing for independent, localized, and variable movement patterns. This design could have many applications in a variety of fields, from underground exploration to scientific research.
The earthworm-inspired soft robot created by researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia features actuators with an elastomeric skin that encapsulates a specific amount of fluid, mimicking the constant volume of internal coelomic fluid in earthworms. When individual constant volume chambers contract, the earthworm segment becomes shorter longitudinally and wider circumferentially, exerting radial forces. Conversely, contraction of circumferential muscles causes the segment to become longer along the anterior-posterior axis and thinner circumferentially, resulting in penetration forces along the axis. This unique design enables the robot to generate both longitudinal and radial forces in a single actuator module, with each actuator demonstrating a maximum elongation of 10.97mm at 1 bar of positive pressure and a maximum compression of 11.13mm at 0.5 bar of negative pressure. This innovative feature sets it apart from other soft robots and could have significant implications for future underground exploration and search and rescue operations.
The researchers incorporated small passive friction pads, inspired by earthworms’ setae, on the ventral surface of the robot to facilitate its movement on a planar surface. The addition of these pads resulted in an enhanced locomotion performance, with a speed of 1.35mm/s.
By taking a bioinspired approach, this study not only provides a new method for creating peristaltic earthworm-like soft robots but also deepens our understanding of locomotion in various environments. The potential applications of this technology are diverse, including underground exploration, excavation, search and rescue operations in subterranean environments, and planetary exploration.
The development of this bioinspired burrowing soft robot is a significant advancement in the field of soft robotics, marking the beginning of a new era in the creation of innovative and versatile robots. This breakthrough opens up avenues for further research and development in the future, with exciting possibilities for practical applications in diverse fields.
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