Kavli Affiliate: Chiara Daraio
| First 5 Authors: Manas Bhargava, Manas Bhargava, , ,
| Summary:
Natural organisms use distributed actuation via their musculoskeletal systems
to adapt their gait for traversing diverse terrains or to morph their bodies to
perform varied tasks. A longstanding challenge in the field of robotics is to
mimic this extensive adaptability and range of motion. This has led humans to
develop various soft robotic systems that emulate natural organisms. However,
such systems are generally optimized for a single functionality, lack the
ability to change form or function on demand, or are often tethered to bulky
control systems. To address these challenges, we present our framework for
designing and controlling robots that mimic nature’s blueprint by utilizing
distributed actuation. We propose a novel building block that combines
3D-printed bones with liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) muscles as lightweight
actuators and enables the modular assembly of musculoskeletal robots. We
developed LCE rods that contract in response to infrared radiation, thereby
achieving local and untethered control over the distributed network of bones,
which in turn results in global deformation of the robot. Furthermore, to
capitalize on the extensive design space, we develop two computational tools:
one to optimize the robot’s skeletal graph, enabling multiple target
deformations, and another to co-optimize the skeletal designs and control gaits
to achieve target locomotion. We validate our system by building several robots
that show complex shape morphing, varying control schemes, and adaptability to
their environment. Our system integrates advances in modular material building,
untethered and distributed control, and computational design to introduce a new
generation of robots that brings us closer to the capabilities of living
organisms.
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