The design and control of Amoeba-like robot

Abstract

Considering the constraint of the rigid structure of the conventional robots in the collapsed environment, this paper proposes a novel robot of whole flexibility, of which the construction materials, the driving materials and the controlling models are all soft. The new robot imitates the locomotion mechanism of the Amoeba, actuated by the IPMC (ionic polymer-metal composites) actuators. Flexible thin film material is made into circle column shape as the skin of the robot. Meanwhile the liquid is injected into the circle column cavity. The IPMC actuators pasted on the skin of the robot and stimulated by regular control signals can make the robot move forwards, backwards, enter the narrow hole and so on. The robot makes it another possibility in the application of disaster search and rescue.