6 accepted papers
Soft robots present unique challenges for accurate modeling and control due to their virtually infinite degrees of freedom and highly nonlinear deformations. High-fidelity continuum models offer accuracy but are often computationally prohibitive for real-time control, while purely learning-based pol…
Soft underwater robots, designed to mimic the movement and adaptability of aquatic animals, use flexible materials like silicone and rubber to change shape and navigate complex environments. These robots can squeeze through narrow spaces and avoid obstacles, making them ideal for exploring underwate
The inverse kinematic control of soft robots appears as an open challenge that has been the subject of a number of letters presented in the last decade. Some solutions have been provided based on specific assumptions on the robot’s shape or the actuation mechanism. Other more generic approaches are
A new family of soft underwater propellers has been recently presented. Mimicking the swimming strategy of bacterial flagella, these modules passively adapt to the surrounding fluid to provide a propulsive thrust. In the present paper we aim at further investigating the behaviour of this device and
We propose a novel variable-strain parametrization for soft manipulators, which discretizes the continuous Cosserat rod model onto a finite set of strain basis functions. This approach generalizes the recently proposed piecewise-constant strain method to the case of non-constant strain sections. As
Flagellated micro-organism are regarded as excellent swimmers within their size scales. This, along with the simplicity of their actuation and the richness of their dynamics makes them a valuable source of inspiration to design continuum, self-propelled underwater robots. Here we introduce a soft, f…