Session: 08-11-01: Mobile Robots and Unmanned Ground Vehicles I

Paper Number: 165889

Compliant Earthworm Robot Development and its Applications 

The soft robotic is widely used in many different applications. Power sources of soft robotics are variable like pneumatic, hydraulic, electric, or mechanical systems. Pneumatics is one of the most common and most popular types; Soft robotics has advantages of flexibility, low cost, easy maintainance, and more. Some common applications include soft silicone robot gripper, mobility, manipulation, and more.

A material must meet the requirements to enable extension and retraction without large deformations to construct the soft robotic body. Various requirements including light weight, easy fabrication, flexibility in size, and low cost will be considered. A highly elastomeric siloxane was used (Ecoflex 00-30). This silicone rubber can provide a low cost, non-toxicity, easy to access. Another advantage is to cast variable sizes/shapes of actuators after mixing the fixture and pouring into the mold. Silicone rubber pneumatic-based soft robotics combines advantages of pneumatic system and soft robotics to provide with a precise control, flexibility for different applications, adapting to irregular shape or environments, and more. The silicone rubber pneumatic utilizes air chamber design to achieve manipulation motions like extention, bending, twist, and rotation. Degrees of freedom can be obtained by number of air chambers, chamber designs, and variations of air inputs.

The objective of the paper is to develop a terrestrial soft earthworm robot with vacuum resistance based on combinations of active pneumatic elements acting with multiple degrees of freedom. The robot consists of silicone rubber pneumatic actuators to manipulate earthworm locomotion by adopting body segment structure to gain precise control and achieve muti-degrees of freedom.

The research was conducted to manipulate earthworm locomotion. Earthworms have a flexible body that is made up of many repeated segments that can crawl without legs and are also able to achieve many degrees of freedom of movement on each body segment. We developed methodologies for designing many repeated segments that can crawl without legs and are also able to achieve many degrees of freedom of movement on each body segment/disk and, to increase manipulation of robot locomotion. Each body segment consists of two types of muscles that allow them to crawl. Longitudinal muscles on earthworm body could extend on onside while retracting other side of its body to make bending motion. Circular muscles could stretch and shorten to help crawl forward or backward. Developing an earthworm-inspired soft robotics that could extend and retract to achieve muti-degrees of freedom could be a challenge.

The prescribed earthworm robots help swift/precise exploration to rough terrains. The soft robots require low-power consumption for exploration, data acquisition, and security operation in dangerous areas without bulky auxiliary systems. Successful development of highly-mobile, robust and autonomous robot systems is one avenue toward expanding availability of robots in harsh environments, potentially as inexpensive platforms for exploration, monitoring, and maintenance in hard-to-reach location or unknown terrain.

 

Presenting Author: Trevor Harms Northern Kentucky Univ.

Presenting Author Biography: The presenting author is Trevor Harms. He is from Fort Thomas, Kentucky and graduated from Highlands High School in 2021. He is currently working towards my Bachelors in Mechatronics Engineering Technology at Northern Kentucky University. The area of focus is automated manufacturing with minors in industrial and electrical technology. He is on track to graduate spring of 2025.

Authors:

Minchul Shin Northern Kentucky University
Trevor Harms Northern Kentucky Univ.