A buckling-sheet ring oscillator for electronics-free, multimodal locomotion

Journal Article · 09 February 2022 · Science Robotics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.abg5812· OSTI ID:1980749

Lee, Won-Kyu ^[1]; Preston, Daniel J. ^[2]; Nemitz, Markus P. ^[2]; Nagarkar, Amit ^[1]; MacKeith, Arthur K. ^[1]; Gorissen, Benjamin ^[3]; Vasios, Nikolaos ^[3]; Sanchez, Vanessa ^[4]; Bertoldi, Katia ^[3]; Mahadevan, L. ^[5]; Whitesides, George M. ^[6]

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1. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
2. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
3. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
4. Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA.; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
5. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.; Department of Physics, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 17 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.; Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology, Harvard University, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
6. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA.; Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology, Harvard University, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

Locomotion of soft robots typically relies on control of multiple inflatable actuators by electronic computers and hard valves. Soft pneumatic oscillators can reduce the demand on controllers by generating complex movements required for locomotion from a single, constant input pressure, but either have been constrained to low rates of flow of air or have required complex fabrication processes. Here, we describe a pneumatic oscillator fabricated from flexible, but inextensible, sheets that provides high rates of airflow for practical locomotion by combining three instabilities: out-of-plane buckling of the sheets, kinking of tubing attached to the sheets, and a system-level instability resulting from connection of an odd number of pneumatic inverters made from these sheets in a loop. This device, which we call a “buckling-sheet ring oscillator” (BRO), directly generates movement from its own interaction with its surroundings and consists only of readily available materials assembled in a simple process—specifically, stacking acetate sheets, nylon film, and double-sided tape, and attaching an elastomeric tube. A device incorporating a BRO is capable of both translational and rotational motion over varied terrain (even without a tether) and can climb upward against gravity and downward against the buoyant force encountered under water.

• Research Organization: Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: SC0000989
• OSTI ID: 1980749
• Journal Information: Science Robotics, Vol. 7, Issue 63; ISSN 2470-9476
• Publisher: AAAS
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

Robotics