We have created an inchworm robot capable of the two-anchor crawl gait on level ground and inclined plane. The main novelty is in the design of the inchworm： （1） three-part body that is 3D printed and actuated by t...We have created an inchworm robot capable of the two-anchor crawl gait on level ground and inclined plane. The main novelty is in the design of the inchworm： （1） three-part body that is 3D printed and actuated by two servo motors to allow a looping and lengthening action, （2） passive friction pads to anchor the feet, each of which may be disengaged using a servo motor actuated lever arm, and （3） modular body and electronics. The robot is about 2 feet （61 cm） in length, has a mass of about 4 kg, and uses an open-loop controller to achieve steady crawling gait. The inchworm robot achieved a speed of 2.54 em.sI on level ground as well as on an incline plane of 19~. The energy usage as measured by the Mechanical Cost of Transport （a non-dimensional number defined as the energy used per unit weight per unit distance moved） is 3.34. Our results indicate that simple robotic designs that copy the basic features of natural organisms provide a promising alternative over conventional wheeled robots.展开更多
Slingshot spiders use their conical webs to launch themselves at high speeds to catch prey.We built a launching mechanism inspired by the slingshot spider.Our launch mechanisms comprise a steel structure with eye bolt...Slingshot spiders use their conical webs to launch themselves at high speeds to catch prey.We built a launching mechanism inspired by the slingshot spider.Our launch mechanisms comprise a steel structure with eye bolts to hold a conical web made from latex rubber tubing.We pull the web by a winch using a lever arm.A quick-release mechanism connects the web to the winch using a tough-grid paracord.When we release the quick-return mechanism,the projectile material consisting of a steel ball achieved an acceleration of 5107 m s^(-2) or 521 times gravity,and a speed of 66.41 m s^(-1).The power per unit mass and energy per unit mass of our prototype was one tenth and one fifth that of the spider’s web respectively.In particular,we found that web structure consisting multiple radial web elements reinforced with circumferential web elements provide enhanced stiffness;as a comparison our web had a stiffness of about eight times that of traditional slingshot with a single radial web element.Our results suggest that adapting designs from nature can lead to potentially superior performance of man-made contraptions.展开更多
基金This work was partially supported by the United States National Science Foundation through the grant 1566463 to P. A. Bhounsule.
文摘We have created an inchworm robot capable of the two-anchor crawl gait on level ground and inclined plane. The main novelty is in the design of the inchworm： （1） three-part body that is 3D printed and actuated by two servo motors to allow a looping and lengthening action, （2） passive friction pads to anchor the feet, each of which may be disengaged using a servo motor actuated lever arm, and （3） modular body and electronics. The robot is about 2 feet （61 cm） in length, has a mass of about 4 kg, and uses an open-loop controller to achieve steady crawling gait. The inchworm robot achieved a speed of 2.54 em.sI on level ground as well as on an incline plane of 19~. The energy usage as measured by the Mechanical Cost of Transport （a non-dimensional number defined as the energy used per unit weight per unit distance moved） is 3.34. Our results indicate that simple robotic designs that copy the basic features of natural organisms provide a promising alternative over conventional wheeled robots.
文摘Slingshot spiders use their conical webs to launch themselves at high speeds to catch prey.We built a launching mechanism inspired by the slingshot spider.Our launch mechanisms comprise a steel structure with eye bolts to hold a conical web made from latex rubber tubing.We pull the web by a winch using a lever arm.A quick-release mechanism connects the web to the winch using a tough-grid paracord.When we release the quick-return mechanism,the projectile material consisting of a steel ball achieved an acceleration of 5107 m s^(-2) or 521 times gravity,and a speed of 66.41 m s^(-1).The power per unit mass and energy per unit mass of our prototype was one tenth and one fifth that of the spider’s web respectively.In particular,we found that web structure consisting multiple radial web elements reinforced with circumferential web elements provide enhanced stiffness;as a comparison our web had a stiffness of about eight times that of traditional slingshot with a single radial web element.Our results suggest that adapting designs from nature can lead to potentially superior performance of man-made contraptions.
