Soft Robots for Cluttered Environments Based on Origami Anisotropic Stiffness Structure (OASS) Inspired by Desert Iguana

Abstract

Compared to many rigid robots, emerging soft robots possess higher adaptability and safety owing to their compliance, [1,2] making them a promising solution for human-robot interaction, [3,4] manipulation, [5,6] and search and rescue. [7] Instead of only having one state (soft or rigid) in a robot, many scenarios necessitate both soft and rigid properties. For example, when picking an item of varying softness, shape, and weight using various motions, such as grasping and fiddling, a packaging robot should be rigid enough to grasp heavy items but soft enough to grasp fragile or irregular items while also being capable of quickly switching between these two states. [2,8,9] While exploring dangerous and confined environments (e.g., post-earthquake rescue and industrial pipeline inspection), the robot should be sufficiently compliant to adapt to the cluttered environment and rigid to transport a large gap. [10,11] Moreover, if a robot approaches a rugged surface with a heavy payload, it should be sufficiently compliant to move on the surface and rigid to support the payload. [12,13] To circumvent this problem, researchers attempted to integrate rigid and soft robots. One approach is to convert a robot from a rigid to a soft state and vice versa, which requires a variable-stiffness mechanism. This mechanism has been widely used in wearable robots, [14] manipulators, [7,15] and continuum

Soft Robot Design, Manufacturing, and Operation Challenges: A Review

“…Taking inspiration from desert iguanas, researchers have explored the implementation of compliant mechanisms in soft robot designs to enhance stiffness [88]. Furthermore, locomotion design principles, based on copepods and small crustaceans found in diverse aquatic habitats, have exhibited exceptionally rapid responses [89].…”

Innervation of Sensing Microchannels for Three‐Dimensional Stimuli Perception

“…Soft actuators are a recently emerging technique due to their adaptivity and safety, [3,39,40] but most current soft actuators lack embedded sensors to measure their deformation resulting from the large strain during operation. [41][42][43] Previously, adhering flexible sensors to the outer surface of soft actuators was a general approach to measuring the bending behavior of soft actuators.…”

2-DOF Woven Tube Plane Surface Soft Actuator Using Extensional Pneumatic Artificial Muscle

“…Takeyama et al [16] and Xin et al [17] fabricated soft robots that move by sequentially depressurizing air chambers to generate longitudinal waves, for the purpose of moving walls and inspecting inside the gastrointestinal tract, respectively. Soft actuators inspired by various animals, such as iguanas [18], annelids [19], and Drosophila larvae [20], also have the capability to move. Soft actuators designed for movement are suitable for carrying human bodies or fragile items [21] and moving in complex environments [22,23].…”