An Experimental Investigation of Digging Via Localized Fluidization, Tested With RoboClam: A Robot Inspired by Atlantic Razor Clams
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md_138_12_125001.pdf
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1.9 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
dc3a4db6982f4147c9e8e2f86ef5b8ac
Author(s)
Isava, Monica
Winter, Amos G.
Date Issued
September 2016
Journal
Journal of Mechanical Design
Publisher
ASME International
Citation
Isava, Monica, and Amos G. Winter V. “An Experimental Investigation of Digging Via Localized Fluidization, Tested With RoboClam: A Robot Inspired by Atlantic Razor Clams.” Journal of Mechanical Design 138, 12 (September 2016): 125001 © 2016 ASME
Version
Final published version
Abstract
The Atlantic razor clam, Ensis directus, burrows underwater by expanding and contracting its valves to fluidize the surrounding soil. Its digging method uses an order of magnitude less energy than would be needed to push the clam directly into soil, which could be useful in applications such as anchoring and sensor placement. This paper presents the theoretical basis for the timescales necessary to achieve such efficient digging and gives design parameters for a device to move at these timescales. It then uses RoboClam, a robot designed to imitate the razor clam's movements, to test the design rules. It was found that the minimum contraction time is the most critical timescale for efficient digging and that efficient expansion times vary more widely. The results of this paper can be used as design rules for other robot architectures for efficient digging, optimized for the size scale and soil type of the application.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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/10.1115/1.4034218
