A soft robot that adapts to environments through shape change
A soft robot that adapts to environments through shape change
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DOI：
10.1038/s42256-020-00263-1
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发表时间：
2020-11-30
影响因子：
23.8
通讯作者：
Kramer-Bottiglio, Rebecca
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Shah, Dylan S.;Powers, Joshua P.;Kramer-Bottiglio, Rebecca
许多生物体，包括各种蜘蛛和毛毛虫，都会改变它们的形状来改变步态并适应不同的环境。最近的技术进步，从可拉伸电路到高度可变形的软机器人，已经开始使变形机器人成为可能。然而，目前尚不清楚形状变化如何以及何时发生，以及可以获得哪些功能，从而导致了一系列未解决的设计和控制问题。为了开始解决这些问题，我们在这里模拟、设计和构建一个软机器人，它利用形状变化来实现在平坦和倾斜表面上的运动。我们在模拟中对该机器人进行建模，探索其在两种环境中的功能，并演示自动发现特定于环境的形状和步态，并将其成功转移到物理硬件。我们发现，在模拟和现实中，变形机器人比同等但不变形的机器人能够更好地穿越这些环境。
Many organisms, including various species of spiders and caterpillars, change their shape to switch gaits and adapt to different environments. Recent technological advances, ranging from stretchable circuits to highly deformable soft robots, have begun to make shape-changing robots a possibility. However, it is currently unclear how and when shape change should occur, and what capabilities could be gained, leading to a wide range of unsolved design and control problems. To begin addressing these questions, here we simulate, design and build a soft robot that utilizes shape change to achieve locomotion over both a flat and inclined surface. Modelling this robot in simulation, we explore its capabilities in two environments and demonstrate the automated discovery of environment-specific shapes and gaits that successfully transfer to the physical hardware. We found that the shape-changing robot traverses these environments better than an equivalent but non-morphing robot, in simulation and reality.