Snake robots are characterized by their ability to navigate through small spaces and loose terrain by utilizing efficient cyclic forms of locomotion. Soft snake robots are a subset of these robots which utilize soft, compliant actuators to produce movement. Prior work on soft snake robots has primarily focused on planar gaits, such as undulation. More efficient spatial gaits, such as sidewinding, are unexplored gaits for soft snake robots. We propose a novel means of constructing a soft snake robot capable of sidewinding, and introduce the Helical Inflating Soft Snake Robot (HISSbot). We validate this actuation through the physical HISSbot, and demonstrate its ability to sidewind across various surfaces. Our tests show robustness in locomotion through low-friction and granular media.
翻译:软蛇机器人以其在小空间和松散地形中利用高效的循环运动来导航的能力而著称。软蛇机器人是利用软性和柔性执行器来产生运动的机器人子集。之前对软蛇机器人的研究主要集中在平面步态,比如蠕动。而对于软蛇机器人来说,更有效率的三维步态,如横向爬行,是未被研究的。我们提出了一种构建软蛇机器人以实现横向爬行的新方法,并介绍新型的螺旋充气式软蛇机器人(HISSbot)。我们通过实际的HISSbot验证了这种运动方式,并展现了其在各种表面上实现横向爬行的能力。我们的测试表明,HISSbot在低摩擦力和颗粒介质中的运动鲁棒性很高。