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An Approach to Soft Jumping Robots

  • Conference paper
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Walking Robots into Real World (CLAWAR 2024)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 1115))

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Abstract

The development of legged robots capable of operating in unstructured environments continues to present a significant challenge to this day. The jumping ability commonly found in terrestrial-legged animals could offer a potential solution for solving this problem to some extent. Over the years, numerous designs based on rigid robotics, bio-inspired or not, have sought to emulate this capability. However, it is clear that there is a need for innovative actuators that facilitate more natural and adaptable movements that allow legged robots to traverse uneven terrain more effectively. Soft robotics could offer several advantages for improving the jumping capabilities of robots due to the ability to deform and reshape their limbs. In this regard, this paper proposes an approach that uses additive manufacturing of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) for a soft jumping quadruped robot based on bicameral pneumatic actuators with the ability to move rapidly and continuously jumping at a maximum speed of 116.7 mm/s, as well as with the ability to rotate and adapt to unstructured environments.

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Acknowledgment

The research leading to these results was supported in part by: (i) the Grant PID2020-116270RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033; (ii) the Grant PDC2021-121578-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the “European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR”; (iii) the Grant TED2021-132710B-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/50110 0011033 and by the “European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR”; and (iv) CSIC under Grant 202350E072, Proyecto Intramural IAMC-ROBI-II (Inteligencia Artificial y Mecatrónica Cognitiva para la Manipulación Robótica Bimanual - 2\(^\circ \) Fase).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Automation and Robotics (CAR) CSIC-UPM, Madrid, Spain

    Eduardo Navas, Kai Blanco, Daniel Rodríguez-Nieto & Roemi Fernández

Authors
  1. Eduardo Navas
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  2. Kai Blanco
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  3. Daniel Rodríguez-Nieto
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  4. Roemi Fernández
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eduardo Navas .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Kaiserslautern, Germany

    Karsten Berns

  2. School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London, UK

    Mohammad Osman Tokhi

  3. IDS, FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik, Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Arne Roennau

  4. School of Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Manuel F. Silva

  5. FZI Research Center for Information Technology, Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Rüdiger Dillmann

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Navas, E., Blanco, K., Rodríguez-Nieto, D., Fernández, R. (2024). An Approach to Soft Jumping Robots. In: Berns, K., Tokhi, M.O., Roennau, A., Silva, M.F., Dillmann, R. (eds) Walking Robots into Real World. CLAWAR 2024. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 1115. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71301-9_8

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