Development of flexible mobile robot with connectable multiple sections

Abstract

In this study, we developed a flexible deformable moving body with a two-dimensional shape and aimed at realizing omnidirectional movement. As a previous study, we developed a planar flexible deformation mobile body combining multiple bending modules. It moves by traveling wave which generated by pressurizing the air to the bending module periodically. However, problems such as air leakage from the bending module that constitutes the moving object and the influence of the moving operation due to the tube that is the flow path were also confirmed. To reduce the number of externally connected tubes, we will develop a new bending module that can include multiple channels inside. In this paper, we report the development of a bending module with multiple flow path inside and the results of research on a one-dimensional mobile object composed of it.