Design and analysis of a soft mobile robot composed of multiple thermally activated joints driven by a single actuator
Name
Cheng-2010-Design and Analysis of a Soft Mobile Robot Composed of Multiple Thermally Activated Joints Driven by a Single Actuator.pdf
Size
1.11 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
94706aea6ea9b6f9c3b36f51bac7be62
Author(s)
Chen, Hao
Hansen, Malik
Playter, Robert
Cheng, Nadia Gen San
Ishigami, Genya
Hawthorne, Stephan A.
Telleria, Maria J.
Iagnemma, Karl
Date Issued
May 2010
Journal
IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Proceedings
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Citation
Cheng, Nadia et al. “Design and Analysis of a Soft Mobile Robot Composed of Multiple Thermally Activated Joints Driven by a Single Actuator.” IEEE, 2010. 5207–5212. Web. 4 Apr. 2012. © 2010 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Soft robotic systems have applications in industrial, medical, and security applications. Many applications require these robots to be small and lightweight. One challenge in developing a soft robotic system is to drive multiple degrees-of-freedom (DOF) with few actuators, thereby reducing system size and weight. This paper presents the analysis and design of an inchworm-like mobile robot that consists of multiple, independent thermally activated joints but is driven by a single actuator. To realize control of this under-actuated system, a solder-based locking mechanism has been developed to selectively activate individual joints without requiring additional actuators. The design and performance analysis of a prototype mobile robot that is capable of inchworm-like translational and steering motion is described. The design of novel “feet” with anisotropic friction properties is also described.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1109/ROBOT.2010.5509247
