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Deformable-wheel robot based on soft material

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Abstract

Soft robotics, a concept contrary to conventional “hard” robotics, is a robot design methodology that uses soft materials inspired by nature. In contrast to a hard robot, a soft robot is composed of soft and flexible materials that blur the distinction between an actuator and a structure, which leads to unique characteristics that cannot be found in a conventional hard robot. This paper presents our approach to the issues that arise when the concept of soft robotics is applied to a wheeled robot. The compliance of the wheel diversifies its potential movement and allows for a high degree of adaptability to the environment. Although the wheel radius of the robot is 50 mm, it can pass through a 30 mm gap and climb a 45 mm step. While soft robotics displays properties whose performance can be challenging to implement, it also enables us to create complex forms of movement in a cheaper and simpler way. We expect that this kind of approach can provide a new design method for a deformable wheel.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering/SNU-IAMD, Seoul National University, Gwanak 1 Gwanak-ro Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 151-742

    Dae-Young Lee, Je-Sung Koh, Ji-Suk Kim, Seung-Won Kim & Kyu-Jin Cho

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  1. Dae-Young Lee
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  2. Je-Sung Koh
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  3. Ji-Suk Kim
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  4. Seung-Won Kim
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  5. Kyu-Jin Cho
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Correspondence to Kyu-Jin Cho.

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Lee, DY., Koh, JS., Kim, JS. et al. Deformable-wheel robot based on soft material. Int. J. Precis. Eng. Manuf. 14, 1439–1445 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-013-0194-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-013-0194-8

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