RI: Small: Collaborative Research: Evolutionary Approach to Optimal Morphology and Control of Transformable Soft Robots

该项目的总体目标是利用进化原理来开发一种新型的复杂软机器人(由顺应性材料建造的机器人)，这种机器人可以改变它们的形状和机械特性以呈现不同的形式，以克服诸如崎岖地形等环境挑战。其动机来自动物在其栖息地通过改变身体形状和机械性能在其栖息地实现有效运动的方式，这是数百万年进化的结果。基于先前的数值结果，研究人员假设，当给定足够的形状变形和力学性能方面的复杂性时，可以实现高度适应性的运动。然而，目前受生物启发的软机器人研究这一假说的能力有限。这项提案的一个关键目标是开发创新的软机器人平台，首次研究这些数字发现。计划中的研究有可能显著提高高维软机器人的功能、适应性和通用性。在软机器人显示出希望的几个领域，特别是在检查行动和搜救任务中，更广泛的影响将是显著的。预计该项目还将产生重大的教育影响，让本科生参与计划中的研究活动，并开发面向软机器人的课程内容和新课程。推广工作的重点是研讨会、公开讲座以及与小学、初中和高中的互动，以促进与当地社区的合作。计划中的研究将揭开生物系统的进化秘密，并为下一代节能、适应性强、多功能和人类友好的机器人打开大门。为了实现这些目标，研究人员建议开发新型的可变形和刚度可控的软机器人，并应用进化计算来生成运动的最优形态和刚度轨迹。研究人员使用基于进化计算的学习模型来规避与复杂软机器人系统相关的维度诅咒，并开发一个全面的框架来开发最优和稳健的控制方案，并使用一系列严格的实验评估对其进行测试。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The overall objective of the project is to leverage the principles of evolution in order to develop a new type of complex soft robots (robots that are constructed from compliant material) that can change their shape and mechanical properties to assume different forms in order to overcome environmental challenges such as uneven terrain. The motivation comes from the ways animals achieve efficient locomotion in their habitats by varying body shape and mechanical properties as a result of evolution over millions of years. Based on prior numerical results, the investigators hypothesize that highly adaptable locomotion can be achieved when given enough complexity in terms of shape deformation and mechanical properties. Current bioinspired soft robots, however, have limited capability to investigate such hypothesis. One key goal in this proposal is to develop innovative soft robotic platforms to study, for the first time, these numerical findings. The planned research has the potential to significantly enhance the functionality, adaptability, and versality of high-dimensional soft robots. The broader impact would be significant in several areas where soft robots have shown promise, particularly in inspection operations and search-and-rescue missions. The project is also expected to have a significant educational impact by engaging undergraduate students in the planned research activities and developing course content and new courses geared towards soft robots. Outreach efforts focus on workshops, public lectures, and engagements with elementary, middle, and high schools to foster collaborations with the local communities.The planned research is poised to unlock the evolutionary secrets of biological systems and open the door for the next generation of energy-efficient, adaptable, versatile, and human-friendly robots. To meet these goals, investigators propose to develop novel transformable and stiffness controllable soft robots and apply evolutionary computing to generate optimal morphological and stiffness trajectories for locomotion. The investigators employ evolutionary computing-based learning models to circumvent the curse of dimensionality associated with complex soft robotic systems and develop a comprehensive framework for developing optimal and robust control schemes and testing thereof using a series of rigorous experimental evaluations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.