Amphibious flexible robot based on micro-column structure and preparation method of amphibious flexible robot

Abstract

The invention relates to an amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-column structure and a preparation method of the amphibious flexible robot. An amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-column structure comprises a body and feet connected to the two ends of the body. The body is used for switching between a bending state and a straightening state in the length direction when being illuminated; the two feet are connected to the two ends of the body in the length direction respectively. Through the design of the foot parts with the inclined micro columns, the magnitude difference of the acting force at the front end and the rear end of the flexible robot when the flexible robot crawl on the ground can be increased, so that the crawling efficiency is greatly improved while the flexible robot can crawl. Meanwhile, the feet can help the flexible robot float on the water surface, air can be adsorbed between the inclined micro columns to form a stable air film, the resistance of the flexible robot on the water surface is further reduced, the moving speed of the flexible robot on the water surface is increased, and the service life of the flexible robot is prolonged. Finally, the purpose that the flexible robot can be driven in the amphibious environment is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of flexible robots, and in particular to an amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-column structure and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, light-driven millimeter-scale bionic flexible actuators have shown great potential and broad application prospects due to their excellent flexibility and operability, and have received extensive attention and research. Compared with other driving methods such as electric drive, temperature, and magnetic field, light drive has the advantages of long-distance and wireless control, free adjustment of intensity, and high stimulation accuracy. Actuators made of flexible materials are lighter and smaller overall, and can perform tasks in more complex environments. Giving flexible actuators amphibious motion capabilities can greatly expand their environmental adaptability, making them ideal for performing tasks in complex environments.

[0003] Thanks to the excellent performance of light-driven flexible actuators, researchers have conducted some research on the water / land motion function applications of light-driven flexible actuators, achieving crawling, jumping, rolling and other movements on land, and swinging fins in water, using the Marangoni effect to drive actuator movement, etc. These works have demonstrated the prospects of light-driven actuators on land and in water, but most of them can only perform single land crawling or surface swimming. And there is still a lack of research on how to miniaturize amphibious flexible actuators without losing their motion performance, and even how to better improve the actuator's motion performance. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide an amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-column structure and a preparation method thereof to address the problem that existing flexible robots can only be driven in a single environment.

[0005] An amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-column structure, comprising:

[0006] A body, which is used to switch between a bent state and an extended state in a length direction of the body when exposed to light; and

[0007] Two feet, which are respectively connected to the two ends of the body in the length direction; the feet include:

[0008] A connecting plate, one side of which is connected to the end of the body;

[0009] A plurality of columns are connected to a side of a connecting plate away from a body; the plurality of columns are arranged in parallel, and the angle between the columns and the connecting plate is 45° to 80°; when the body is in a bent state, the columns on the two feet are inclined to the same side, and the surface formed by the inclined direction of the columns is parallel to the surface formed by the bending direction of the body; the plurality of columns are used to provide different forces to the two ends of the body when the body state changes; the plurality of columns are also used to absorb air in the gaps between the columns and form a stable air film.

[0010] As a preferred example, the body is a long strip-shaped double-layer membrane structure, and the double-layer membrane structure includes a CNT layer and a PDMS layer that are solidified and connected to each other.

[0011] As a preferred example, the radius of the column is 0.10-0.25 mm, and the length is 0.3-0.7 mm; the gap between adjacent columns is 400-600 μm.

[0012] As a preferred example, the material of the column is a mixture of PDMS, a curing agent and carbon powder.

[0013] As a preferred example, the shape of the column is a cylinder, a triangular prism, a quadrangular prism or a pentagonal prism.

[0014] As a preferred example, when the amphibious flexible robot moves on land, the displacements of the feet at both ends of the body are different, so that the amphibious flexible robot moves toward one end of the body.

[0015] As a preferred example, when the amphibious flexible robot moves on the water surface, when light is irradiated on different positions of the feet, the amphibious flexible robot can move forward, backward, left or right due to the Marangoni effect.

[0016] A method for preparing an amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-column structure, wherein the amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-column structure as described above is prepared; the preparation method comprises the following steps:

[0017] Prepare the body of an amphibious flexible robot; prepare the foot of an amphibious flexible robot; wherein the method for preparing the foot of an amphibious flexible robot comprises the following steps:

[0018] Tilt the substrate 10° to 45° along the horizontal plane and then fix it;

[0019] A plurality of microholes are opened on the substrate along the gravity direction by using a femtosecond laser; the radius of the microholes is set to 0.10-0.25 mm, and the depth is set to 0.3-0.7 mm; the gap between adjacent microholes is 400-600 μm;

[0020] The pre-prepared foot material is evenly coated on the substrate, and the foot material is ensured to be injected into the micropores; the coated foot material is solidified, and after solidification, it is demoulded from the substrate to obtain a foot with inclined micro-pillars;

[0021] The feet are connected to both ends of the body to obtain an amphibious flexible robot.

[0022] As a preferred example, the method for preparing an amphibious flexible robot body comprises the following steps:

[0023] placing a CNT suspension on a glass substrate, and then evaporating the CNT suspension to obtain a CNT layer;

[0024] The PDMS and curing agent are mixed and uniformly coated on the CNT layer, and a CNT / PDMS double-layer film is obtained after curing;

[0025] The CNT / PDMS double-layer film is cut to obtain a long strip body.

[0026] As a preferred example, the foot raw material includes the following components in mass ratio:

[0027] PDMS: curing agent: carbon powder = 10:1:10.

[0028] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that: the present invention can increase the difference in force between the front and rear ends of the flexible robot when crawling on the land surface through the design of the foot with inclined micro-columns, so that the flexible robot can crawl while greatly improving the crawling efficiency. At the same time, the foot can help the flexible robot float on the water surface, and the inclined micro-columns can absorb air to form a stable air film, further reducing the resistance of the flexible robot on the water surface, speeding up the movement speed of the flexible robot on the water surface, and finally achieving the purpose of the flexible robot being able to drive in an amphibious environment, and making the amphibious flexible robot miniaturized without losing its motion performance, providing a new design direction for amphibious light-driven actuators. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the amphibious flexible robot when bending in the embodiment;

[0030] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Front view of the amphibious flexible robot when it is bent;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the state of the amphibious flexible robot when it is bent and contracted;

[0032] Figure 4 Flow chart for preparing the body of an amphibious flexible robot;

[0033] Figure 5 Flowchart for preparing the amphibious soft robot foot.

[0034] In the figure: body 1, foot 2, connecting plate 21, column 22. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "mounted on" another component, it may be directly on the other component or there may be a central component. When a component is considered to be "set on" another component, it may be directly set on the other component or there may be a central component at the same time. When a component is considered to be "fixed to" another component, it may be directly fixed on the other component or there may be a central component at the same time.

[0037] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0038] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "or / and" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2, this embodiment provides an amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-column structure, which includes a body 1 and a foot 2 connected to both ends of the body 1. When the body 1 is irradiated by a high-energy light beam such as near-infrared light or laser, it can transform between a bent state and an extended state. Specifically, the body 1 in this embodiment is configured as a long strip of double-layer membrane structure. The so-called double-layer membrane structure includes a CNT layer and a PDMS layer (CNT is a carbon nanotube; PDMS is polydimethylsiloxane, a high molecular polymer). The two-layer structure is tightly attached together to form a double-layer membrane structure and is cut into a long strip. Both ends of the long strip body 1 are connected to the foot 2.

[0040] An important design point in the amphibious flexible robot is the special design of the foot 2. In the present embodiment, the foot 2 includes a connecting plate 21 and a plurality of columns 22. One side of the connecting plate 21 is connected to the end of the torso 1, and the other side is connected to the plurality of columns 22. In particular, the columns 22 on the same connecting plate 21 are arranged in parallel, and the angle between the column 22 and the connecting plate 21 is set to 45° to 80°. There are also requirements for the inclination direction of the column 22 relative to the torso 1. When the torso 1 is in one of the degrees of bending, such as the maximum degree of bending, all the columns 22 on the two feet 2 are inclined to the same side. The surface formed by the inclination direction of the column 22 is parallel to the surface formed by the bending direction of the torso 1. For ease of understanding and description, please refer to Figure 3 . Figure 3 The following is a schematic diagram of the state of the flexible robot when it is bent and contracted. Figure 3The right side of the flexible robot shown in is called the front. When the flexible robot moves on the land surface, when the body 1 bends and contracts, the feet 2 in the front and rear directions have a tendency to move toward the middle of the body 1 due to the bending of the body 1. Due to the setting of the inclination angle of the column 22, the front column 22 is not easy to deform relative to the rear column 22, so that the contact area between the front column 22 and the land surface is different, that is, the front column 22 is in surface contact, and the rear column 22 is in line contact, which leads to a large force between the front column 22 and the land surface, and a small moving distance to the middle of the body 1. The force between the rear column 22 and the land surface is small, and the moving distance to the middle of the body 1 is large. Similarly, when the body 1 is stretched and unfolded, the front and rear feet 2 tend to move to both sides of the body 1. At this time, the front column 22 is easily deformed relative to the rear column 22, resulting in the front column 22 being in line contact and the rear column 22 being in surface contact. Then, the front column 22 moves forward a large distance, and the rear column 22 moves backward a small distance. Combined with the above movements, the front foot 2 of the body 1 moves a small distance when it is bent, and a large distance when it is stretched and unfolded, so the flexible robot as a whole tends to move forward. Repeated contraction and stretching and unfolding processes drive the entire flexible robot to move continuously. At the same time, the design of multiple columns 22 increases the difference in the magnitude of the forces at both ends of the body 1, greatly improving the crawling efficiency of the flexible robot.

[0041] In another embodiment, the column 22 can be a cylinder 22 made of a mixture of PDMS, a curing agent and carbon powder, with a radius set to 0.18 mm and a length set to 0.5 mm. A plurality of columns 22 are arranged in a rectangular row on the connecting plate 21, and the gap between adjacent columns 22 is set to 500 μm. When the flexible robot moves on the water surface, the plurality of columns 22 on the foot 2 are used to adsorb air in the gap between the columns 22 and form a stable air film. The stable air film can firstly help the flexible robot float on the water surface. Second, it can reduce the resistance of the flexible robot on the water surface and speed up the movement speed of the flexible robot on the water surface, so that the flexible robot can be driven in an amphibious environment.

[0042] The working principle of the present invention is as follows: the flexible robot is in a state of bending toward the PDMS layer at room temperature and normal conditions. When the flexible robot moves on land: the body 1 is irradiated by near-infrared light or laser. Since the CNT layer has high absorption and high photothermal conversion in the near-infrared light spectrum, when the temperature of the CNT layer rises, a large stress difference will be generated between the CNT layer and the PDMS layer, and strain mismatch will occur, so that the body 1 bends toward the CNT layer and shows a straight state. By continuously and alternately irradiating the body 1 with light, the body 1 is continuously switched between the bent state and the straight state, and then the flexible robot is pushed to one side through the foot 2. When the flexible robot moves on the water surface: one of the feet 2 is irradiated by near-infrared light or laser. Due to the Marangoni effect, that is, the CNT layer converts light energy into heat energy, the heat energy generated in the foot 2 will be immediately transferred to the surrounding water, so that a temperature gradient is generated near the two feet 2. The surface tension gradient generated by the temperature gradient drives the flexible robot to move in the direction of low surface tension. The range of the above-mentioned light irradiation can be regarded as a point. Through the Marangoni effect, according to the specific irradiation position of the light "point" on the foot 2 (irradiated to the left or right position of one of the feet 2), the flexible robot can move forward, backward, left or right.

[0043] In another embodiment, a method for preparing an amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-pillar structure is also proposed, which prepares the above-mentioned amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-pillar structure. The preparation method includes preparing a body 1 of the amphibious flexible robot; preparing a foot 2 of the amphibious flexible robot, and finally combining the body 1 and the foot 2.

[0044] like Figure 4 As shown, the method for preparing the amphibious flexible robot body 1 comprises the following steps:

[0045] S1. Placing a CNT suspension on a glass substrate, and then evaporating the suspension to form a CNT layer on the glass substrate.

[0046] S2. Mix PDMS and a curing agent and evenly coat the mixture on the CNT layer, place the mixture in an oven and cure it at 100° C., and obtain a CNT / PDMS double-layer membrane after curing.

[0047] S3. Use a femtosecond laser direct writing system to cut the CNT / PDMS double-layer film to obtain a long strip body 1.

[0048] like Figure 5 As shown, the method for preparing the amphibious flexible robot foot 2 includes the following steps:

[0049] S4. Tilt the PTFE substrate along the horizontal plane by 10° to 45° and fix it. Set the power of the femtosecond laser to 300mW to open multiple micropores on the substrate along the gravity direction. Set the scanning speed of the femtosecond laser to 25mm / s. The radius of the micropores finally formed is set to 0.10 to 0.25mm, and the depth is set to 0.3 to 0.7mm; the gap between adjacent micropores is 400 to 600μm.

[0050] S5. A mixture of PDMS, curing agent and carbon powder (mass ratio of 10:1:10) is stirred evenly to form a raw material for foot 2. The raw material for foot 2 is evenly coated on the substrate and fully separated from the air under vacuum conditions to ensure that the raw material for foot 2 is completely injected into the micropores.

[0051] S6. Put the substrate coated with the raw material of the foot 2 into an oven and bake it at 100°C for 3 hours for curing. After curing, demould the substrate. Use a femtosecond laser to cut the film with the column 22 after demoulding to obtain the foot 2 with inclined micro-columns. Among them, the raw material part of the foot 2 covered on the substrate after curing constitutes the connecting plate 21, and the raw material part of the foot 2 injected into the micropore constitutes the column 22.

[0052] Finally, the foot 2 is integrated to both ends of the body 1 to obtain an amphibious flexible robot.

[0053] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0054] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-column structure, characterized in that: It includes: A body (1) is used to switch between a bent state and an extended state in a length direction when exposed to light; as well as Two feet (2), which are respectively connected to the two ends of the body (1) in the length direction; the feet (2) include: A connecting plate (21) having one side connected to the end of the body (1); A plurality of columns (22) are connected to a side of a connecting plate (21) away from a body (1); the plurality of columns (22) are arranged in parallel, and the angle between the columns (22) and the connecting plate (21) is 45° to 80°; when the body (1) is in a bent state, the columns (22) on the two feet (2) are inclined to the same side, and the surface formed by the inclined direction of the columns (22) is parallel to the surface formed by the bent direction of the body (1); the plurality of columns (22) are used to provide different forces to the two ends of the body (1) when the state of the body (1) changes; the plurality of columns (22) are also used to absorb air in the gaps between the columns (22) and form a stable air film.

2. The amphibious flexible robot based on micro-column structure according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The body (1) is a long strip-shaped double-layer membrane structure, and the double-layer membrane structure comprises a CNT layer and a PDMS layer that are solidified and connected to each other.

3. The amphibious flexible robot based on micro-column structure according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The radius of the column (22) is 0.10-0.25 mm, and the length is 0.3-0.7 mm; the gap between adjacent columns (22) is 400-600 μm.

4. The amphibious flexible robot based on micro-column structure according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The material of the column (22) is a mixture of PDMS, a curing agent and carbon powder.

5. The amphibious flexible robot based on micro-column structure according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The column (22) is in the shape of a cylinder (22), a triangular prism, a quadrangular prism or a pentagonal prism.

6. The amphibious flexible robot based on micro-column structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the amphibious flexible robot moves on the land surface, the displacements of the feet (2) at the two ends of the body (1) are different, so that the amphibious flexible robot moves toward one end of the body (1).

7. The amphibious flexible robot based on micro-column structure according to claim 1 is characterized in that: When the amphibious flexible robot moves on the water surface, when light is irradiated on different positions of the foot (2), the amphibious flexible robot can move forward, backward, left or right due to the Marangoni effect.

8. A method for preparing an amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-pillar structure, characterized in that: The amphibious flexible robot based on the micro-column structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 is prepared; the preparation method comprises the following steps: The body (1) of an amphibious flexible robot is prepared; the foot (2) of the amphibious flexible robot is prepared; wherein the method for preparing the foot (2) of the amphibious flexible robot comprises the following steps: Tilt the substrate 10° to 45° along the horizontal plane and then fix it; A plurality of microholes are opened on the substrate along the gravity direction by using a femtosecond laser; the radius of the microholes is set to 0.10-0.25 mm, and the depth is set to 0.3-0.7 mm; the gap between adjacent microholes is 400-600 μm; The foot (2) raw material prepared in advance is evenly coated on the substrate, and the foot (2) raw material is ensured to be injected into the micropores; the coated foot (2) raw material is solidified, and after solidification, it is demoulded from the substrate to obtain a foot (2) with inclined micro-columns; The feet (2) are connected to the two ends of the body (1) to obtain an amphibious flexible robot.

9. The method for preparing an amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-column structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method for preparing an amphibious flexible robot body (1) comprises the following steps: placing a CNT suspension on a glass substrate, and then evaporating the CNT suspension to obtain a CNT layer; The PDMS and curing agent are mixed and uniformly coated on the CNT layer, and a CNT / PDMS double-layer film is obtained after curing; The CNT / PDMS double-layer film is cut to obtain a long strip body (1).

10. The method for preparing an amphibious flexible robot based on a micro-column structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The raw materials of the foot (2) include the following components in terms of mass ratio: PDMS: curing agent: carbon powder = 10:1:10.

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