Crawling Robot by Using Inflation and Shrink of Elastic Sheets with Extension and Contraction of Bodies Driven by Twisting Motion

- Extending Radius of Adaptation by Using Multiple Winding Sheets -

Abstract

A mobile robot that moves in narrow environments, such as inside a pipe, usually uses a crawling mechanism. Most crawling mechanisms use an inflation part that anchors the body onto a wall and a contraction part that drives the rest of the body forward. However, the infraction part usually uses a rubber air expansion bag or a complex wall pushing mechanism, which are not suitable for extreme environments. For example, a rubber bag may easily be damaged by a hot temperature. Also, a complex wall pushing mechanism may not be used in narrow pipes. To make durable and simple crawling robots, we have proposed a mechanism that only uses twisting motion. The motion drives a body forward while thin plates inflate to anchor the body. In our previous report, we introduced a principle of this movement. We also showed a prototype robot that has a limited sheet inflation diameter. This report proposes a mechanism that realizes limitless inflation diameter by winding plates multiple times around the body. We also show a new prototype that includes batteries and controllers.