10 accepted papers
Soft robots, with their compliance and adaptability, are ideal for applications requiring continuously flexible, dynamic movement, making them promising candidates for underwater locomotion. However, current swimming soft robots often rely on electronic power sources and complex, laborintensive manu
Soft robotic gripping in wet environments is generally limited by the presence of a liquid that lubricates the interface between the gripper and an object being manipulated. The use of soft grippers is particularly beneficial for manipulating soft, delicate objects, yet is further limited by low gri
Some marine animals, such as sea stars, have developed versatile adhesive appendages that can be used for a variety of behaviors including sticking to surfaces, manipulating objects, and locomoting. These appendages couple reversible adhesion capabilities with muscular structures that can do work on
Recent studies on dynamic legged locomotion have focused on incorporating passive compliant elements into robot legs which can help with energy efficiency and stability, enabling them to work in wide range of environments. In this work, we present the design and testing of a soft robotic foot capabl
Anchoring is an important capability for mobile robots to conserve power, survey an area, or deploy a payload. However, the careful placement of an anchor in unstructured environments requires a great deal of dexterity, perception, and planning. Furthermore, many of the reversible adhesives that may
Existing platforms for underwater exploration and inspection are often limited to traversing open water and must expend large amounts of energy to maintain a position in flow for long periods of time. Many benthic animals overcome these limitations using legged locomotion and have different hydrodyn
Soft-bodied organisms such as annelids may exploit body compliance using their hydrostatic skeletons and muscles to burrow in granular substrates. In this letter, we investigate the design of soft digging robots inspired by the bristled worm, (polychaetas). The behavior of soft structures in dry gra
Previous work has demonstrated the versatility of soft robotic grippers using simple control inputs. However, these grippers still face challenges in grasping large objects and in achieving high-strength grasps. This work investigates the combination of fluidic elastomer actuators and gecko-inspired
Many scenarios require access to locations that are difficult to reach; however, mobile and untethered robots for these applications operate on a limited reserve of energy. Researchers often design robots specifically to be able to wait for periods of time in low-power states, conserving energy, and
The agility and ease of control make a quadrotor aircraft an attractive platform for studying swarm behavior, modeling, and control. The energetics of sustained flight for small aircraft, however, limit typical applications to only a few minutes. Adding payloads - and the mechanisms used to manipula