Design, Validation, and Case Studies of 2D-VSR-Sim, an\n Optimization-friendly Simulator of 2-D Voxel-based Soft Robots

Abstract

Voxel-based soft robots (VSRs) are aggregations of soft blocks whose design\nis amenable to optimization. We here present a software, 2D-VSR-Sim, for\nfacilitating research concerning the optimization of VSRs body and brain. The\nsoftware, written in Java, provides consistent interfaces for all the VSRs\naspects suitable for optimization and considers by design the presence of\nsensing, i.e., the possibility of exploiting the feedback from the environment\nfor controlling the VSR. We experimentally characterize, from a mechanical\npoint of view, the VSRs that can be simulated with 2D-VSR-Sim and we discuss\nthe computational burden of the simulation. Finally, we show how 2D-VSR-Sim can\nbe used to repeat the experiments of significant previous studies and, in\nperspective, to provide experimental answers to a variety of research\nquestions.\n