Miniaturization of worm-type soft robot actuated by magnetic field

Abstract

Recently, many studies on bio-mimic soft robots have been reported. Among living organisms, the locomotion of soft-bodied creatures, such as snails, worms and nematodes, have been actively studied. These soft creatures locomote by deforming the muscles of the whole body into waveforms and propagating the waves of the deformation. This locomotion of soft creatures could be applicable to develop a worm-type soft robot, which can move in drain pipes and even in a human body. In this study, we developed worm-like robots that could generate wavy motion under a rotating magnetic field using silicone and magnetic rubber, and investigated their movement characteristics. In addition, based on a deformation experiment of a silicone cantilever with a single magnetic element inside made of the same material as a worm-like robot, we investigated the effect of the size of the worm robot for further miniaturization.