Bioinspired Continuum Robots with Programmable Stiffness by Harnessing Phase Change Materials (Adv. Mater. Technol. 6/2023)

Abstract

Bioinspired Continuum Robots In article number 2201616, Ji Liu, Haijun Peng, Jianing Wu, and co-workers present a three-segment continuum robot constructed by a class-3 tensegrity structure, inspired by the mechanism of an elephant trunk for regulating local stiffness. It relies on a stiffness tunable material to achieve the robotic stiffness programmable characteristics. This study may provide a foundation for the potential application of continuum robots for interacting with unstructured environments.