Cassandra M. Donatelli1, Zachary Serlin2, Piers Echols-Jones1, Anthony Scibelli1, Alexandra A Cohen1, Jeanne-Marie Musca1, Shane Rozen-Levy1, David Buckingham1, Robert David White1, Barry Trimmer1
10:30 - 10:45 | Mon 25 Sep | Room 208 | MoAT12.1
Caterpillars are the soft bodied larvae of lepidopteran insects. They have evolved to occupy an extremely diverse range of natural environments and to locomote in complex three-dimensional structures without articulated joint or hydrostatic control. These animals make excellent bio-inspiration for the field of soft robotics because of their diversity and adaptability. In this paper, we present SquMA Bot, a caterpillar-inspired soft robot. The robotÂ’s body is primarily composed of a soft viscoelastic foam, and it is actuated using a motor-tendon system. SquMA Bot is able to mimic the inching gait of a caterpillar and can use its flexible body to adapt to a range of environments. This bio-inspired prototype demonstrates the effectiveness of a soft robot as a potential tool for exploring environments too dangerous for humans.