A Rhythmic Activation Mechanism for Soft Multi-legged Robots

Abstract

Compared to standard solutions, soft robotics presents enhanced adaptability to unpredictable and unstructured environments, encompassing advances in fabrication, modeling, and control. The absence of a general theory for the latter is one of the biggest challenges in the field, which constrains these robots’ employment in real-world applications. This research proposes the application of Scheduling by Multiple Edge Reversal (SMER) in the activation of soft legs to be applied in multi-legged robots. A soft device was developed to be tested as a robot’s leg to evaluate the proposed application. A logic controller for this device was designed using the SMER technique. Image processing techniques were used to assess the functionality of the proposed strategy, which demands limited resources. The vision tracking system is composed of a set of infrared-reflective patches, an infrared illuminator, and a pair of cameras with no infrared filters. Results revealed that it is possible to use SMER techniques to activate soft robotics systems and that the methods employed to develop and test the device were appropriate.