Collaborative Research: Adaptive, Rapid, and Multifunctional Soft Robots (ARM SoRo) with Reconfigurable Shapes and Motions Enabled by Tunable Elastic Instabilities

协作研究：具有可重构形状和运动的自适应、快速和多功能软机器人 (ARM SoRo)，由可调弹性不稳定性实现

• 批准号: 2126072
• 负责人: Jie Yin
• 金额: $ 31.71万
• 依托单位: North Carolina State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-12-01 至 2024-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2126072&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Adaptive; Rapid; Multifunctional

Robots made of metals, hard plastics, or similarly high stiffness materials are restricted in range of motion and shape changes. It would be extremely beneficial if a robot could be reconfigured on-the-fly to generate on-demand shapes and motions required for various tasks such as walking, crawling, and jumping. This award supports fundamental research on how to leverage mechanical modules with elastic instabilities, e.g., bistable modules that can rapidly switch between two stable states, to spontaneously reconfigure a robot’s shape and motion. The research will also develop novel robots with multi-modal locomotion capabilities that can adapt to environments without modifying their mechanical structure. The resulting knowledge will advance the national health and benefit the society in unprecedented ways ranging from search-and-rescue in disasters (e.g., earthquakes) to monitoring in hazardous environments (e.g., nuclear plants). Additionally, this award will offer a unique opportunity to integrate insights from robotics, mechanics, design, and fabrication into intellectually intriguing and visually appealing broadening participation activities to inspire, engage, and educate students and the public alike, with the science and technology of reconfigurable robots. Examples of activities include senior design projects, summer program for high school students, and science and engineering festival.The objective of this research is to gain a fundamental understanding of a new class of soft robots made from soft/flexible modules with elastic instabilities. The goal is to enable soft robots with reconfigurable body shapes and leg motions for multimodal locomotion that can adapt to various complex environments. The strategy is to construct the robots using bistable modules connected in a closed loop for the body and an open loop for the legs, and then actively tune the energy landscape of each module on-the-fly to generate desired body shapes and leg motions for multimodal locomotion. Three research thrusts will be explored: 1) achievement of reconfigurable body shapes through an in-depth understanding of the energy landscapes of bistable modules via the use of quasi-static mechanics; 2) achievement of programmable motions through physics-based dynamics modeling using Cosserat rod theory and model-based reinforcement learning; and 3) validation of the models with the development of a robot with multimodal locomotion capabilities, such as walking, crawling, jumping, and climbing. The knowledge generated from this project will provide guidelines on how to systematically exploit elastic instabilities to generate programmable shapes and dynamic motions. This project is supported by the cross-directorate Foundational Research in Robotics program, jointly managed and funded by the Directorates for Engineering (ENG) and Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

由金属、硬塑料或类似的高刚度材料制成的机器人的运动范围和形状变化受到限制，如果机器人可以动态重新配置以生成各种所需的形状和运动，那将非常有益。该奖项支持如何利用具有弹性不稳定性的机械模块（例如可以在两个稳定状态之间快速切换的双稳态模块）来自发地重新配置机器人的形状和运动的基础研究。该研究还将开发具有多模式运动能力的新型机器人，这些机器人可以在不改变其机械结构的情况下适应环境，由此产生的知识将以前所未有的方式促进国民健康并造福社会，包括灾难中的搜索和救援（例如，灾难中的救援）。此外，该奖项还将提供一个独特的机会，将机器人、机械、设计和制造的见解融入到智力上有趣和视觉上吸引人的广泛参与活动中，以激发、通过可重构机器人的科学技术吸引和教育学生和公众，活动的例子包括高级设计项目、高中生暑期项目和科学与工程节。这项研究的目的是获得基本的知识。了解由具有弹性不稳定性的软/柔性模块制成的新型软机器人，其目标是使软机器人具有可重构的身体形状和腿部运动，以适应复杂的各种环境。使用连接在身体闭环和腿部开环中的双稳态模块，然后动态调整每个模块的能量景观，以生成多模式运动所需的身体形状和腿部运动。探索：1）通过使用准静态力学深入了解双稳态模块的能量景观来实现可重构的身体形状；2）通过使用基于物理的动力学建模来实现可编程运动； Cosserat 杆理论和基于模型的强化学习；3）通过开发具有多模式运动能力（例如行走、爬行、跳跃和攀爬）的机器人来验证模型。利用系统弹性不稳定性来生成可编程形状和动态运动 该项目得到了机器人学跨部门基础研究项目的支持，该项目由工程部 (ENG) 以及计算机和信息科学与工程部共同管理和资助。 （CISE）。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Self‐Sustained Snapping Drives Autonomous Dancing and Motion in Free‐Standing Wavy Rings

自我持续的捕捉驱动独立的波浪环中的自主舞蹈和运动

• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202207372
• 发表时间: 2022-12
• 期刊: Advanced Materials
• 影响因子: 29.4
• 作者: Zhao, Yao;Hong, Yaoye;Qi, Fangjie;Chi, Yinding;Su, Hao;Yin, Jie
• 通讯作者: Yin, Jie

Snapping for high-speed and high-efficient butterfly stroke–like soft swimmer

快速高效的蝶泳动作——就像软泳者一样

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add3788
• 发表时间: 2022-11
• 期刊: Science Advances
• 影响因子: 13.6
• 作者: Chi, Yinding;Hong, Yaoye;Zhao, Yao;Li, Yanbin;Yin, Jie
• 通讯作者: Yin, Jie

A Perspective on Miniature Soft Robotics: Actuation, Fabrication, Control, and Applications

微型软机器人的视角：驱动、制造、控制和应用

• DOI: 10.1002/aisy.202300063
• 发表时间: 2023-04-26
• 期刊: Advanced Intelligent Systems
• 影响因子: 7.4
• 作者: Yinding Chi;Yao Zhao;Yaoye Hong;Yanbin Li;Jie Yin
• 通讯作者: Jie Yin

Bistable and Multistable Actuators for Soft Robots: Structures, Materials, and Functionalities

软机器人的双稳态和多稳态执行器：结构、材料和功能

• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202110384
• 发表时间: 2022-02-16
• 期刊: Advanced Materials
• 影响因子: 29.4
• 作者: Yinding Chi;Yanbin Li;Yao Zhao;Yaoye Hong;Yichao Tang;Jie Yin
• 通讯作者: Jie Yin

Caterpillar-inspired soft crawling robot with distributed programmable thermal actuation

受卡特彼勒启发的具有分布式可编程热驱动的软爬行机器人

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf8014
• 发表时间: 2023-03
• 期刊: Science Advances
• 影响因子: 13.6
• 作者: Wu, Shuang;Hong, Yaoye;Zhao, Yao;Yin, Jie;Zhu, Yong
• 通讯作者: Zhu, Yong