To overcome the material rigidity and actuation limitations in current robotic systems, a joint U.S. Army Research Laboratory and University of Minnesota research project sought inspiration from invertebrates.
The U.S. Army uses robots that are structurally rigid, making them impractical when performing military operations in highly congested and contested urban environments, where covert maneuvering is critical for gaining military superiority.
"Successful stealthy maneuvering requires high structural flexibility and distributive control to sneak into confined or restricted spaces, operate for extended periods and emulate biological morphologies and adaptability," said Dr. Ed Habtour, ARL researcher who specializes in nonlinear structural dynamics.
According to Habtour, current military robots have two major limitations that restrict them from mimicking the locomotion of biological organisms.
First, these robots lack the necessary dynamic flexibility, since they are mostly assembled with rigid mechanical and electronic components.
Second, rigid robots require complex mechanisms and electrical circuitries to achieve active actuation and complex modes of motion.
To overcome these limitations, a joint ARL and UMN research project sought inspiration from invertebrates.
This research effort led to the creation of soft actuator prototypes using active materials with remarkably tunable parameters, such as structural flexibility, morphology and dynamic actuation.
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