Limbless Crawling Soft Robot with a Kirigami Skin

Researchers are always inspired by nature to improve their own designs. When it comes to robots, a soft limbless robot will be able to navigate complex terrains more easily. A team of researchers have come up with one that has antagonistic inflatable soft actuators covered with flexible kirigami skin. By inflating the internal chambers cyclically, rectilinear locomotion can be achieved.

This robot has proximity sensors and a HMI interface for adaptive control and collision avoidance. This study shows the potential of these types for robots in unstructured or confined environments.

[HT]