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Highly manoeuvrable eversion robot based on fusion of function with structure

Highly manoeuvrable eversion robot based on fusion of function with structure
Highly manoeuvrable eversion robot based on fusion of function with structure
Despite their soft and compliant bodies, most of today’s soft robots have limitations when it comes to elongation or extension of their main structure. In contrast to this, a new type of soft robot called the eversion robot can grow longitudinally, exploiting the principle of eversion. Eversion robots can squeeze through narrow openings, giving the possibility to access places that are inaccessible by conventional robots. The main drawback of these types of robots is their limited bending capability due to the tendency to move along a straight line. In this paper, we propose a novel way to fuse bending actuation with the robot’s structure. We devise an eversion robot whose body forms both the central chamber that acts as the backbone as well as the actuators that cause bending and manoeuvre the manipulator. The proposed technique shows a significantly improved bending capability compared to externally attaching actuators to an eversion robot showing a 133% improvement in bending angle. Due to the increased manoeuvrability, the proposed solution is a step towards the employment of eversion robots in remote and difficult-to-access environments.
12089-12096
IEEE
Abrar, Taqi
f49fa83b-0882-45a8-bff6-db53709e5887
Putzu, Fabrizio
d87164eb-a15c-4a76-b259-f34e00d7c54c
Ataka, Ahmad
5deaad33-73cc-4dbf-8803-d773cf3841d0
Godaba, Hareesh
787c1482-6a29-43ad-b49e-a6a2b7175f0c
Althoefer, Kaspar
031c800b-bf48-4996-8c17-29f7408898c6
Abrar, Taqi
f49fa83b-0882-45a8-bff6-db53709e5887
Putzu, Fabrizio
d87164eb-a15c-4a76-b259-f34e00d7c54c
Ataka, Ahmad
5deaad33-73cc-4dbf-8803-d773cf3841d0
Godaba, Hareesh
787c1482-6a29-43ad-b49e-a6a2b7175f0c
Althoefer, Kaspar
031c800b-bf48-4996-8c17-29f7408898c6

Abrar, Taqi, Putzu, Fabrizio, Ataka, Ahmad, Godaba, Hareesh and Althoefer, Kaspar (2021) Highly manoeuvrable eversion robot based on fusion of function with structure. In 2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). IEEE. pp. 12089-12096 . (doi:10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561873).

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

Despite their soft and compliant bodies, most of today’s soft robots have limitations when it comes to elongation or extension of their main structure. In contrast to this, a new type of soft robot called the eversion robot can grow longitudinally, exploiting the principle of eversion. Eversion robots can squeeze through narrow openings, giving the possibility to access places that are inaccessible by conventional robots. The main drawback of these types of robots is their limited bending capability due to the tendency to move along a straight line. In this paper, we propose a novel way to fuse bending actuation with the robot’s structure. We devise an eversion robot whose body forms both the central chamber that acts as the backbone as well as the actuators that cause bending and manoeuvre the manipulator. The proposed technique shows a significantly improved bending capability compared to externally attaching actuators to an eversion robot showing a 133% improvement in bending angle. Due to the increased manoeuvrability, the proposed solution is a step towards the employment of eversion robots in remote and difficult-to-access environments.

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More information

Published date: 18 October 2021

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 499159
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/499159
PURE UUID: b1309ba9-e642-43e5-8d5f-9187b976d619
ORCID for Hareesh Godaba: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6600-8513

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Date deposited: 11 Mar 2025 17:32
Last modified: 12 Mar 2025 03:14

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Contributors

Author: Taqi Abrar
Author: Fabrizio Putzu
Author: Ahmad Ataka
Author: Hareesh Godaba ORCID iD
Author: Kaspar Althoefer

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