A Theoretical Investigation of the Critical Timescales Needed for Digging in Dry Soil Using a Biomimetic Burrowing Robot
Name
A theoretical investigaton.pdf
Size
3.28 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
30789f5032f216dbfa6dbac8a9dae1cc
Author(s)
Isava, Monica
Winter, Amos G.
Date Issued
August 2015
Journal
Proceedings of the ASME 2015 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference IDETC/CIE 2015
Publisher
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Citation
Isava, Monica, and Amos G. Winter. “A Theoretical Investigation of the Critical Timescales Needed for Digging in Dry Soil Using a Biomimetic Burrowing Robot.” ASME 2015 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference IDETC/CIE 2015, 2-5 August, 2015, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, ASME, 2015. © 2015 by ASME
Version
Final published version
Abstract
RoboClam is a bio-inspired robot that digs into underwater soil efficiently by expanding and contracting its valves to fluidize the substrate around it, thus reducing drag. This technology has potential applications in fields such as anchoring, sensor placement, and cable installation. Though there are similar potential applications in dry soil, the lack of water to advect the soil particles prevents fluidization from occurring. However, theoretically, if the RoboClam contracts quickly enough, it will achieve a zero-stress state that will allow it to dig into dry soil with very little drag, independent of depth. This paper presents a theoretical model of the two modes of soil collapse to determine how quickly a device would need to contract to achieve this zero-stress state. It was found that a contraction time of 0.02 seconds would suffice for most soils, which is an achievable timescale for a RoboClam-like device.
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/DETC2015-47852
