Legless soft robots capable of rapid, continuous, and steered jumping

Rui Chen (), Zean Yuan, Jianglong Guo, Long Bai, Xinyu Zhu, Fuqiang Liu, Huayan Pu (), Liming Xin, Yan Peng, Jun Luo, Li Wen and Yu Sun
Additional contact information
Rui Chen: Chongqing University
Zean Yuan: Chongqing University
Jianglong Guo: Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen)
Long Bai: Chongqing University
Xinyu Zhu: Chongqing University
Fuqiang Liu: Chongqing University
Huayan Pu: Shanghai University
Liming Xin: Shanghai University
Yan Peng: Shanghai University
Jun Luo: Chongqing University
Li Wen: Beihang University
Yu Sun: University of Toronto

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Jumping is an important locomotion function to extend navigation range, overcome obstacles, and adapt to unstructured environments. In that sense, continuous jumping and direction adjustability can be essential properties for terrestrial robots with multimodal locomotion. However, only few soft jumping robots can achieve rapid continuous jumping and controlled turning locomotion for obstacle crossing. Here, we present an electrohydrostatically driven tethered legless soft jumping robot capable of rapid, continuous, and steered jumping based on a soft electrohydrostatic bending actuator. This 1.1 g and 6.5 cm tethered soft jumping robot is able to achieve a jumping height of 7.68 body heights and a continuous forward jumping speed of 6.01 body lengths per second. Combining two actuator units, it can achieve rapid turning with a speed of 138.4° per second. The robots are also demonstrated to be capable of skipping across a multitude of obstacles. This work provides a foundation for the application of electrohydrostatic actuation in soft robots for agile and fast multimodal locomotion.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27265-w

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