Harnessing bistability for directional propulsion of soft, untethered robots

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Tian ChenChiara Daraio

Abstract

In most macroscale robotic systems, propulsion and controls are enabled through a physical tether or complex onboard electronics and batteries. A tether simplifies the design process but limits the range of motion of the robot, while onboard controls and power supplies are heavy and complicate the design process. Here, we present a simple design principle for an untethered, soft swimming robot with preprogrammed, directional propulsion without a battery or onboard electronics. Locomotion is achieved by using actuators that harness the large displacements of bistable elements triggered by surrounding temperature changes. Powered by shape memory polymer (SMP) muscles, the bistable elements in turn actuate the robot's fins. Our robots are fabricated using a commercially available 3D printer in a single print. As a proof of concept, we show the ability to program a vessel, which can autonomously deliver a cargo and navigate back to the deployment point.

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Citations

Jan 12, 2019·Nature Communications·Yijie JiangJordan R Raney
Dec 8, 2019·Nature Communications·Yafei ZhangC Q Chen
Jan 24, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Lishuai JinDennis M Kochmann
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Oct 8, 2021·Nature·Hiromi YasudaJordan R Raney

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