Steerable Flipping Elastic Robot That Leverages Elastic Energy Through Both Bending and Twisting Deformation

Abstract

Harnessing elastic energy for power amplification in robotic locomotion, inspired by living organisms' mechanisms, enables robots to achieve dynamic and rapid movements even with actuators of limited instantaneous power output. Previous research in this domain has employed multiple elastic elements and independently controlled the release timing of stored energy to facilitate scalable locomotion. This study proposes a novel approach by developing a flipping biped robot that leverages a single elastic element (its body) by applying multiple deformation modes to predetermine locomotion direction. The proposed robot exhibits straight flipping locomotion with bending deformation of its elastic body. Furthermore, the robot alters its flipping direction with an ‘additional twist,’ enabling two-dimensional locomotion. Our proposed robot demonstrates diverse capabilities through experimental validation, including steering, vertical wall climbing, and seamless locomotion transition between surfaces at different angles. This work showcases the potential of elastic energy utilization for versatile and agile soft-robotic locomotion.