Abstract
This paper presents a fluid-filled modular robot inspired by a living coupled oscillator system constructed by plasmodium of true slime mold. Each module of the robot has a truly soft and deformable body, stemming from real-time tunable springs, filled with fluid. The robot consists of these homogeneous modules which are physically coupled with fluid-filled tubes. Exploiting this physical long distant interaction, the robot is capable to induce versatile oscillatory patterns and transitions between the several oscillatory patterns in a fully decentralized manner. The simulation results obtained are expected to shed new light on design scheme of life-like robots to reproduce astoundingly versatile, supple and robust behaviors.
