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Design of a miniature modular inchworm robot with an anisotropic friction skin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2018

Wael Saab ,
Peter Racioppo ,
Anil Kumar  and
Pinhas Ben-Tzvi
Wael Saab
Affiliation:
Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. E-mails: waelsaab@vt.edu, rpeter8@vt.edu, anilks@vt.edu
Peter Racioppo
Affiliation:
Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. E-mails: waelsaab@vt.edu, rpeter8@vt.edu, anilks@vt.edu
Anil Kumar
Affiliation:
Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. E-mails: waelsaab@vt.edu, rpeter8@vt.edu, anilks@vt.edu
Pinhas Ben-Tzvi*
Affiliation:
Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. E-mails: waelsaab@vt.edu, rpeter8@vt.edu, anilks@vt.edu
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: bentzvi@vt.edu
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Summary

This paper presents the design, analysis, and experimental validation of a miniature modular inchworm robot (MMIR). Inchworm robots are capable of maneuvering in confined spaces due to their small size, a desirable characteristic for surveillance, exploration and search and rescue operations. This paper presents two generations of the MMIR (Version 1—V1 and Version 2—V2) that utilize anisotropic friction skin and an undulatory rectilinear gait to produce locomotion. This paper highlights design improvements and a multi-body dynamics approach to model and simulate the system. The MMIR V2 incorporates a slider-crank four-bar mechanism and a relative body revolute joint to produce high-frequency relative translation and rotation to increase forward velocity and enable turning capabilities. Friction analysis and locomotion experiments were conducted to assess the systems performance on various surfaces, validate the dynamic model and simulation results, and measure the maximum forward velocity. The MMIR V1 and V2 were able to achieve maximum forward velocities of 12.7 mm/s and 137.9 mm/s, respectively. These results are compared to reported results of similar robots published in the literature.

Keywords

DesignMobile robotsRobot dynamicsMechatronics systems
Type
Articles
Information
Robotica , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , March 2019 , pp. 521 - 538
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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