A pneumatic pressure driven bionic multi-motion mode soft robot system

Abstract

The application relates to a kind of bionic multi-motion mode soft robot systems based on air pressure driving, including soft robot and gas supply control system, soft robot includes four silica gel suction cups, four silica gel suction cups are installed on the end of two different length support trestle, each silica gel suction cup is connected with a gas pipe, for air pressure loading, two support trestles are installed at the front end and rear end of soft driver, and the gas pipe for loading of soft driver is connected on the soft driver;Gas supply control system is connected with each gas pipe on soft robot, and gas is supplied to corresponding gas pipe according to set loading time and frequency, to drive corresponding silica gel suction cup and soft driver;The application realizes multiple bionic motion modes through single structure, including crawling of imitating caterpillar, rolling of imitating mantis shrimp and turning of human forward roll, and excellent environmental adaptability and motion performance are shown, and single soft driver of the application can be expanded to two parallel arranged soft drivers, and more efficient steering function can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of soft robots, and in particular to a bionic multi-motion mode soft robot system based on air pressure drive. Background Art

[0002] Existing rigid robots suffer from shortcomings such as complex structure, difficult maintenance, and poor environmental adaptability. With the widespread application of new technologies and materials, soft robots made of soft actuators have become an emerging research field that has attracted much attention in recent years due to their compatibility with the human body, adaptability to complex environments, versatility, and ease of manufacturing.

[0003] However, in soft robotics research, most soft robots only possess a single motion mode, and achieving multiple motion modes remains a challenge. Although some soft robots have achieved diverse motion modes, their performance still needs to be improved and is not as good as that of soft robots with only a single motion mode. Furthermore, existing multi-motion mode soft robots rely on magnetic fields and light intensity for propulsion, which limits their applicability in unstructured environments and is prone to malfunctions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This paper proposes a pneumatically driven, biomimetic, multi-motion soft robotic system. This soft robotic system utilizes a single structure to achieve a variety of biomimetic motion modes, including caterpillar-like crawling, mantis shrimp-like rolling, and human-like forward rolls. Furthermore, the soft robot exhibits robust environmental adaptability and superior motion performance. Furthermore, by expanding the designed single soft actuator to two parallel soft actuators, the system can achieve even more efficient steering.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solutions.

[0006] A bionic multi-motion mode soft robot system based on air pressure drive, the soft robot system includes an air supply control system and a soft robot, the soft robot includes a soft driver array containing a soft driver (3), and also includes a plurality of suction cups arranged at the four corners of the soft driver array, the suction cups including a left front corner suction cup (1), a right front corner suction cup (12), a left rear corner suction cup (5), and a right rear corner suction cup (6) for adsorbing the ground, the soft driver includes a shell (18) and a plurality of air chambers (19) connected by air chamber connecting channels (20), and the air chambers are arranged in a straight line in the inner cavity of the shell. The air chambers are arranged in a row and the height of each air chamber decreases linearly from the back to the front to form an air chamber array; the air chamber in the middle of the air chamber array is connected to the air supply control system; an inelastic layer (21) is provided at the bottom of the soft actuator for limiting the deformation of the bottom surface of the shell; when each air chamber expands to different degrees under the action of the pressure gas of the air supply control system, the soft actuator is deformed into a curled shape under the constraint of the inelastic layer and drives the suction cup to move, and the air supply control system adjusts the shape of the soft actuator and controls the adsorption state of each suction cup on the ground, so that the soft robot can perform crawling, rolling or flipping movements on the ground.

[0007] The tail end of the soft driver is hinged to the short support leg (8), and the head end of the soft driver is hinged to the long support leg (10); the left rear corner suction cup (5) and the right rear corner suction cup (6) are fixed at the end of the short support leg (8); the left front corner suction cup (1) and the right front corner suction cup (12) are fixed at the end of the long support leg (10); when the soft robot moves, the groove-shaped suction cup structure at the end of the short support leg and the long support leg minimizes the distance between the center of gravity and the contact point and can rotate under the action of the gravity torque, so that the two support legs are rotated to the direction of maintaining the most stable posture, so that the adsorption surface of each suction cup faces the ground.

[0008] When viewed from above, the long support frame is longer than the short support frame to avoid collisions between the suction cups during the movement of the soft robot, allowing the soft actuator to accurately perform curling deformation under the control of the air supply control system.

[0009] When the soft driver array includes two soft drivers, the two soft drivers are arranged in parallel and spaced apart on the left and right sides, and are connected to each other by a short supporting frame and a long supporting frame to form a soft driver array.

[0010] The left front corner suction cup (1), the right front corner suction cup (12), the left rear corner suction cup (5), and the right rear corner suction cup (6) are all silicone suction cups;

[0011] The preparation method of the soft actuator comprises the following steps: designing a soft actuator mold by 3D printing, selecting silicone as the manufacturing material, and obtaining a finished product by casting.

[0012] The air supply control system comprises an air compressor (14), a vacuum pump (15), an air pressure control box (17), an air chamber air pipe (13) for connecting the air pressure control box and the air compressor, and a suction cup air pipe (16) for connecting the vacuum pump and the air pressure control box. The air compressor and the vacuum pump output high-pressure air or vacuum pressure to the air pressure control box. The air supply control system adjusts the output pressure through the air pressure control box and controls the air supply to the air chamber array, and the control content includes the time and frequency of the air supply.

[0013] The air chamber in the middle of the air chamber array within the soft actuator is connected to the air supply control system via an air pipe; adjacent air chamber cavities in the air chamber array are directly connected via an air chamber connecting channel. High-pressure air loaded by the air supply control system enters the air chamber in the middle of the air chamber array through the loading air pipe, then enters the adjacent air chamber cavity through the air chamber connecting channel, causing the air chamber cavity to expand under pressure. The loaded air pressure then continues to enter the next air chamber cavity through the air chamber connecting channel, causing the air chamber cavities of the soft actuator to expand and deform in sequence. Under the constraint of the non-stretchable layer, the soft actuator undergoes bending deformation.

[0014] The left front corner suction cup (1), the right front corner suction cup (12), the left rear corner suction cup (5), and the right rear corner suction cup (6) are respectively connected to the air pressure control box via the left front corner suction cup air pipe (2), the left rear corner suction cup air pipe (4), the right front corner suction cup air pipe (11), and the right rear corner suction cup air pipe (7).

[0015] When the soft robot performs a forward crawling action on a horizontal ground, the control method thereof includes the following steps:

[0016] Step A1: The air supply control system applies vacuum pressure to the suction cups on the long support legs to ensure that they are in a vacuum adsorption state on the ground. The adhesive force exerted by the suction cups on the long support legs stably adsorbs and anchors the soft robot head end to the ground.

[0017] Step A2: The air supply control system rapidly pressurizes the soft actuator, causing it to bend upward and push the short support leg at the tail end forward. When the pressurization time is long enough for the short support leg to move a distance that reaches a threshold, the air supply control system switches to loading the silicone suction cup on the short support leg so that the tail end of the soft robot adheres to the ground, and unloads the vacuum from the silicone suction cup on the long support leg, returning it to its initial, unattached state.

[0018] Step A3: The air supply control system unloads the air pressure in the flexible actuator, causing the flexible actuator to naturally extend and push the long support leg at the head end forward until the flexible actuator returns to its original shape, completing one crawling action. After this process is completed, the air path of the suction cup on the short support leg is disconnected to maintain its natural state.

[0019] If the air supply control system loads the suction cup on the long support leg again, the above steps A1 to A3 are performed in sequence, and the soft robot continuously performs the crawling action.

[0020] When the soft robot performs a forward climbing action on an inclined ground, its control method is based on the slope angle that the soft robot needs to climb. The air supply control system will sequentially apply vacuum and boost pressure that match the slope angle to the suction cup and soft actuator to drive the soft robot to climb;

[0021] The soft robot performs a crawling action that requires turning by setting two soft actuators arranged in parallel in the soft actuator array. If the turning is counterclockwise, the specific steps are as follows:

[0022] Step S1: The air supply control system first applies vacuum to the suction cup on the short support leg of the soft robot to ensure that the tail end of the soft robot can be firmly attached to the ground;

[0023] Step S2: The air supply control system pressurizes the soft actuator on the right side of the soft robot, causing the soft actuator on the right side to bend rapidly. Due to the constraint of the soft actuator on the left side, the long support leg at the head end of the soft robot rotates counterclockwise.

[0024] Step S3: The long support leg rotates to the desired angle, and the air supply control system switches to apply vacuum to the silicone suction cup on the long support leg so that the head end of the soft robot is adsorbed to the ground. The air supply control system also unloads the vacuum from the silicone suction cup on the short support leg, returning it to its natural state, thereby releasing the adsorption of the tail end of the soft robot to the ground.

[0025] Step S4: The air supply control system unloads the soft actuator on the right side, causing it to expand naturally, and pushes the short support leg at the tail end of the soft robot to rotate counterclockwise until the soft actuator returns to its original shape, completing the counterclockwise rotation of the crawling process;

[0026] In the above steps S1 to S4 , if the air supply control system first applies pressure to the soft actuator on the left side, the soft robot turns clockwise.

[0027] When the soft robot performs a forward rolling motion on a horizontal ground, the control method includes the following steps:

[0028] Step B1: The air supply control system applies vacuum to the suction cups on the long support legs to ensure that the soft robot head is firmly attached to the ground. In the initial state of rolling motion, the chamber layer of the soft actuator is in contact with the ground.

[0029] Step B2: The air supply control system pressurizes the flexible actuator at a high rate, forcing the flexible actuator to curl up at a high speed and reach a large initial curling speed; thereby causing the center of mass of the flexible actuator to move rapidly to accumulate kinetic energy;

[0030] Step B3: When the soft actuator curls from linear to approximately circular, the air supply control system unloads the vacuum of the suction cup on the long support leg. Under the action of inertia, the soft robot rolls forward in the shape of a wheel until the kinetic energy accumulated in step B2 is exhausted.

[0031] Step B4: When the soft robot stops rolling, the air supply control system unloads the soft actuator, and the soft actuator begins to expand and return to its original state;

[0032] If the air supply control system loads the silicone suction cup on the long support leg again, the above steps B1 to B4 are performed in sequence to continuously realize the rolling action of the soft robot.

[0033] When the soft robot performs a flipping action on a horizontal ground, the control method includes the following steps:

[0034] Step C1: The air supply control system applies vacuum to the suction cup on the short support leg to ensure that the tail end of the soft robot is firmly attached to the ground;

[0035] Step C2: The air supply control system applies high pressure to the soft actuator, causing it to bend rapidly until the long support leg contacts or is in close proximity to the short support leg. At this point, the high-pressure gas acts on the gradient-height distribution of the chamber structures within the soft actuator, causing the average curvature of the region near the short support leg to be greater than the average curvature of the region near the long support leg. The soft actuator deforms into a whistle-like shape, shifting the center of gravity of the entire soft robot to the right of the short support leg.

[0036] Step C3: The air supply control system quickly unloads the pressure on the soft actuator. Since the center of gravity of the soft robot is located on the short support leg at the tail end, as the pressure is released, the long support leg at the head end of the soft actuator begins to stretch upward, causing the soft robot to flip over.

[0037] Step C4: When the robot is completely turned over, the air supply control system unloads the vacuum of the suction cup on the short support leg, and the soft actuator gradually stretches into a linear state and finally lies on the ground;

[0038] If the air supply control system loads the suction cup on the short support leg again, the above steps C1 to C4 are performed in sequence, and the soft robot continuously performs the flipping action.

[0039] The present invention relates to a pneumatically driven, biomimetic, multi-motion-mode soft robot system. The system comprises a soft robot and an air supply control system. The soft robot comprises four silicone suction cups mounted on the ends of two supporting legs of different lengths. Each silicone suction cup is connected to an air tube for pneumatic loading. The two supporting legs are mounted at the front and rear ends of a soft actuator, each of which is connected to an air tube for loading. The air supply control system is connected to each air tube on the soft robot and supplies air to the corresponding air tube at a set loading time and frequency to drive the corresponding silicone suction cup and soft actuator. This soft robot system, with a single structure, achieves multiple biomimetic motion modes, including caterpillar-like crawling, mantis shrimp-like rolling, and human-like forward rolls, demonstrating excellent environmental adaptability and motion performance. Furthermore, by expanding the designed single soft actuator into two parallel soft actuators, the system can achieve more efficient steering.

[0040] In the present invention, due to the use of a soft structure, it has good shock absorption ability, allowing the system composed of soft robots to carry items that need to be transported smoothly.

[0041] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0042] (1) A bionic multi-motion mode soft robot system based on air pressure drive is provided. The soft robot system can achieve multiple motion modes through a single structure by imitating the crawling of a caterpillar, the rolling of a mantis shrimp and the forward roll of a human.

[0043] (2) The soft robot of the present invention is highly adaptable in complex terrain, capable of continuous, stable, and controllable movement in various complex environments, and capable of climbing steep slopes. By expanding the designed single-actuator into a dual-actuator quadruped soft robot and loading it in a specific order, the soft robot can complete turning movements in a very confined space, demonstrating efficient motion control capabilities.

[0044] (3) The soft robot of the present invention has a simple structure and is easy to install and maintain. If the silicone suction cup or soft actuator is damaged, it can be quickly disassembled and replaced. Therefore, the present invention has strong practicality and broad application prospects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] The present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0046] Attachment Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a soft robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Attachment Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Attachment Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of the soft driver in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Attachment Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the crawling process of the soft robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Attachment Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the rolling process of the soft robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Attachment Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the flipping process of the soft robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Attachment Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the climbing motion of the soft robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Attachment Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the steering motion of the soft robot in an embodiment of the present invention (the soft robot has two built-in soft actuators);

[0054] Attachment Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the phase of the soft robot's rotation angle changing with time in an embodiment of the present invention (the soft robot has two built-in soft actuators);

[0055] In the figure: left front corner suction cup 1, left front corner suction cup air pipe 2, soft actuator 3, left rear corner suction cup air pipe 4, left rear corner suction cup 5, right rear corner suction cup 6, right rear corner suction cup air pipe 7, short support tripod 8, loading air pipe 9;

[0056] Long supporting tripod 10, right front corner suction cup air pipe 11, right front corner suction cup 12, air chamber air pipe 13, air compressor 14, vacuum pump 15, suction cup air pipe 16, air pressure control box 17, shell 18, air chamber 19, air chamber connecting channel 20, non-retractable layer 21, steep slope 23. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0058] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are exemplary and are intended to provide further explanation of the present application. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs.

[0059] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0060] As shown in the figure, a bionic multi-motion mode soft robot system based on air pressure drive, the soft robot system includes an air supply control system and a soft robot, the soft robot includes a soft drive array including a soft drive 3, and also includes a plurality of suction cups disposed at the four corners of the soft drive array, the suction cups including a left front corner suction cup 1, a right front corner suction cup 12, a left rear corner suction cup 5, and a right rear corner suction cup 6 for adsorbing the ground, the soft drive includes a shell 18 and a plurality of air chambers 19 connected by air chamber connecting channels 20, each air chamber is arranged in a straight line in the inner cavity of the shell and each air chamber is connected to the air chamber 20. The height of the chamber decreases linearly from back to front to form an air chamber array; the air chamber in the middle of the air chamber array is connected to the air supply control system; a non-stretchable layer 21 is provided at the bottom of the soft actuator to limit the deformation of the bottom surface of the shell; when each air chamber expands to different extents under the action of the pressurized gas of the air supply control system, the soft actuator is deformed into a curled shape under the constraint of the non-stretchable layer and drives the suction cup to move. The air supply control system adjusts the shape of the soft actuator and controls the adsorption state of each suction cup on the ground, so that the soft robot can perform crawling, rolling or flipping movements on the ground.

[0061] The tail end of the soft driver is hinged to the short supporting leg 8, and the head end of the soft driver is hinged to the long supporting leg 10; the left rear corner suction cup 5 and the right rear corner suction cup 6 are fixed at the end of the short supporting leg 8; the left front corner suction cup 1 and the right front corner suction cup 12 are fixed at the end of the long supporting leg 10; when the soft robot moves, the groove-shaped suction cup structure at the end of the short supporting leg and the long supporting leg minimizes the distance between the center of gravity and the contact point and can rotate under the action of the gravitational torque, allowing the two supporting legs to rotate to the direction of maintaining the most stable posture, so that the adsorption surface of each suction cup faces the ground.

[0062] When viewed from above, the long support frame is longer than the short support frame to avoid collisions between the suction cups during the movement of the soft robot, allowing the soft actuator to accurately perform curling deformation under the control of the air supply control system.

[0063] When the soft driver array includes two soft drivers, the two soft drivers are arranged in parallel and spaced apart on the left and right sides, and are connected to each other by a short supporting frame and a long supporting frame to form a soft driver array.

[0064] The left front corner suction cup 1, the right front corner suction cup 12, the left rear corner suction cup 5, and the right rear corner suction cup 6 are all silicone suction cups;

[0065] The preparation method of the soft actuator comprises the following steps: designing a soft actuator mold by 3D printing, selecting silicone as the manufacturing material, and obtaining a finished product by casting.

[0066] The air supply control system includes an air compressor 14, a vacuum pump 15, an air pressure control box 17, an air chamber air pipe 13 for connecting the air pressure control box and the air compressor, and a suction cup air pipe 16 for connecting the vacuum pump and the air pressure control box. The air compressor and vacuum pump output high-pressure air or vacuum pressure to the air pressure control box; the air supply control system adjusts the output pressure through the air pressure control box and controls the air supply to the air chamber array. The control content includes the time and frequency of the air supply.

[0067] The air chamber in the center of the air chamber array within the flexible actuator is connected to the air supply control system via an air pipe; adjacent air chamber cavities in the air chamber array are directly connected via an air chamber connecting channel. High-pressure air loaded by the air supply control system enters the air chamber in the center of the air chamber array through the loading air pipe 9, then enters the adjacent air chamber cavity through the air chamber connecting channel 20, causing the air chamber cavity to expand under pressure. The loaded air pressure then continues to enter the next air chamber cavity through the air chamber connecting channel, causing the air chamber cavities of the flexible actuator to expand and deform sequentially. Under the constraint of the non-stretchable layer, the flexible actuator undergoes bending deformation.

[0068] The left front corner suction cup 1, the left rear corner suction cup 5, the right front corner suction cup 12, and the right rear corner suction cup 6 are respectively connected to the air pressure control box via the left front corner suction cup air pipe 2, the left rear corner suction cup air pipe 4, the right front corner suction cup air pipe 11, and the right rear corner suction cup air pipe 7.

[0069] When the soft robot performs a forward crawling action on a horizontal ground, the control method thereof includes the following steps:

[0070] Step A1: The air supply control system applies vacuum pressure to the suction cups on the long support legs to ensure that they are in a vacuum adsorption state on the ground. The adhesive force exerted by the suction cups on the long support legs stably adsorbs and anchors the soft robot head end to the ground.

[0071] Step A2: The air supply control system rapidly pressurizes the soft actuator, causing it to bend upward and push the short support leg at the tail end forward. When the pressurization time is long enough for the short support leg to move a distance that reaches a threshold, the air supply control system switches to loading the silicone suction cup on the short support leg so that the tail end of the soft robot adheres to the ground, and unloads the vacuum from the silicone suction cup on the long support leg, returning it to its initial, unattached state.

[0072] Step A3: The air supply control system unloads the air pressure in the flexible actuator, causing the flexible actuator to naturally extend and push the long support leg at the head end forward until the flexible actuator returns to its original shape, completing one crawling action. After this process is completed, the air path of the suction cup on the short support leg is disconnected to maintain its natural state.

[0073] If the air supply control system loads the suction cup on the long support leg again, the above steps A1 to A3 are performed in sequence, and the soft robot continuously performs the crawling action.

[0074] When the soft robot performs a forward climbing action on an inclined ground, its control method is based on the slope angle that the soft robot needs to climb. The air supply control system will sequentially apply vacuum and boost pressure that match the slope angle to the suction cup and soft actuator to drive the soft robot to climb;

[0075] The soft robot performs a crawling action that requires turning by setting two soft actuators arranged in parallel in the soft actuator array. If the turning is counterclockwise, the specific steps are as follows:

[0076] Step S1: The air supply control system first applies vacuum to the suction cup on the short support leg of the soft robot to ensure that the tail end of the soft robot can be firmly attached to the ground;

[0077] Step S2: The air supply control system pressurizes the soft actuator on the right side of the soft robot, causing the soft actuator on the right side to bend rapidly. Due to the constraint of the soft actuator on the left side, the long support leg at the head end of the soft robot rotates counterclockwise.

[0078] Step S3: The long support leg rotates to the desired angle, and the air supply control system switches to apply vacuum to the silicone suction cup on the long support leg so that the head end of the soft robot is adsorbed to the ground. The air supply control system also unloads the vacuum from the silicone suction cup on the short support leg, returning it to its natural state, thereby releasing the adsorption of the tail end of the soft robot to the ground.

[0079] Step S4: The air supply control system unloads the soft actuator on the right side, causing it to expand naturally, and pushes the short support leg at the tail end of the soft robot to rotate counterclockwise until the soft actuator returns to its original shape, completing the counterclockwise rotation of the crawling process;

[0080] In the above steps S1 to S4 , if the air supply control system first applies pressure to the soft actuator on the left side, the soft robot turns clockwise.

[0081] When the soft robot performs a forward rolling motion on a horizontal ground, the control method includes the following steps:

[0082] Step B1: The air supply control system applies vacuum to the suction cups on the long support legs to ensure that the soft robot head is firmly attached to the ground. In the initial state of rolling motion, the chamber layer of the soft actuator is in contact with the ground.

[0083] Step B2: The air supply control system pressurizes the flexible actuator at a high rate, forcing the flexible actuator to curl up at a high speed and reach a large initial curling speed; thereby causing the center of mass of the flexible actuator to move rapidly to accumulate kinetic energy;

[0084] Step B3: When the soft actuator curls from linear to approximately circular, the air supply control system unloads the vacuum of the suction cup on the long support leg. Under the action of inertia, the soft robot rolls forward in the shape of a wheel until the kinetic energy accumulated in step B2 is exhausted.

[0085] Step B4: When the soft robot stops rolling, the air supply control system unloads the soft actuator, and the soft actuator begins to expand and return to its original state;

[0086] If the air supply control system loads the silicone suction cup on the long support leg again, the above steps B1 to B4 are performed in sequence to continuously realize the rolling action of the soft robot.

[0087] When the soft robot performs a flipping action on a horizontal ground, the control method includes the following steps:

[0088] Step C1: The air supply control system applies vacuum to the suction cup on the short support leg to ensure that the tail end of the soft robot is firmly attached to the ground;

[0089] Step C2: The air supply control system applies high pressure to the soft actuator, causing it to bend rapidly until the long support leg contacts or is in close proximity to the short support leg. At this point, the high-pressure gas acts on the gradient-height distribution of the chamber structures within the soft actuator, causing the average curvature of the region near the short support leg to be greater than the average curvature of the region near the long support leg. The soft actuator deforms into a whistle-like shape, shifting the center of gravity of the entire soft robot to the right of the short support leg.

[0090] Step C3: The air supply control system quickly unloads the pressure on the soft actuator. Since the center of gravity of the soft robot is located on the short support leg at the tail end, as the pressure is released, the long support leg at the head end of the soft actuator begins to stretch upward, causing the soft robot to flip over.

[0091] Step C4: When the robot is completely turned over, the air supply control system unloads the vacuum of the suction cup on the short support leg, and the soft actuator gradually stretches into a linear state and finally lies on the ground;

[0092] If the air supply control system loads the suction cup on the short support leg again, the above steps C1 to C4 are performed in sequence, and the soft robot continuously performs the flipping action.

[0093] In this example, when the soft actuator array contains two soft actuators, a bracket for installing an air supply control system is set between the two soft actuators, so that the soft robot moves with its own pneumatic power. The air supply control system can use a compressed gas tank at the bracket as a compressed gas source and a battery at the bracket as a power source. A sensor for judging the inclination of the slope ahead can also be set at the bracket.

[0094] Example:

[0095] like Figure 1 、 2 As shown, this embodiment, based on the above technical content, provides a bionic multi-motion mode soft robot system driven by air pressure, including a soft robot and an air supply control system, wherein the soft robot includes four silicone suction cups 1, 5, 6, and 12, and the silicone suction cups 5 and 6 are installed on the end of the short supporting leg 8, and the silicone suction cups 1 and 12 are installed on the end of the long supporting leg 10. Each silicone suction cup is connected to an air tube 2, 4, 7, and 11 for air pressure loading. The long supporting leg 10 is installed at the front end of the soft drive 3, and the short supporting leg 8 is installed at the rear end of the soft drive 3. The soft drive 3 is connected to an air tube 9 for loading the soft drive; the air supply control system is connected to each air tube on the soft robot, and supplies air to the corresponding air tube according to the set loading time and frequency to drive the corresponding silicone suction cup and soft drive.

[0096] The soft actuator is designed by 3D printing, and the soft actuator mold is made of silicone rubber and cast. Figure 3 As shown, the soft actuator includes a soft actuator housing 18, an inelastic layer 21, a tracheal connecting channel (i.e., a loading tracheal tube 9), nine air chambers 19, and eight air chamber connecting channels 20. The entire actuator has a length of 82 mm, a width of 20 mm, and a height of 20 mm. The heights of the nine air chambers decrease linearly, with the highest cavity height being 13 mm and the lowest cavity height being 7.72 mm. The middle air chamber cavity is connected to the trachea via the tracheal connecting channel, and adjacent air chamber cavities are directly connected via the air chamber connecting channel. The loading air pressure enters the trachea connecting channel through the trachea and then enters the air chamber cavity. The air chamber cavity is pressurized and expanded, and the loading air pressure enters the next air chamber cavity through the air chamber connecting channel. The air chamber cavities of the soft actuator expand and deform in sequence. Under the constraint of the inelastic layer, the soft actuator eventually exhibits bending deformation.

[0097] The two support legs 8 and 10 of different lengths are made using 3D technology and use acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate as the manufacturing material. The long support leg 10 has a length of 62.2 mm, a width of 20 mm, and a height of 11 mm. The short support leg 8 has a length of 48.2 mm, a width of 20 mm, and a height of 11 mm. The ends of the two support legs 8 and 10 are designed to have a groove-shaped structure. The diameter of the four silicone suction cups 1, 5, 6, and 12 is 14 mm and they are installed at the ends of the two support legs. Under the action of gravity, the two legs always maintain a downward direction during movement, so that the silicone suction cups maintain stable contact with the ground during movement; the two legs adopt different lengths to effectively avoid collision of the suction cups during movement, thereby ensuring that the soft drive can have a sufficient bending angle.

[0098] The air supply control system includes an air compressor 14, a vacuum pump 15, connecting air pipes 13, 14 and an air pressure control box 17. The air compressor 14 and the vacuum pump 15 are connected to the air pressure control box 17 through the connecting air pipes 13, 14 to output high-pressure air and vacuum pressure to the air pressure control box 17; the air pressure control box 17 is responsible for adjusting the output air pressure and controlling the air supply to the fixed air pipe as well as the time and frequency of the air supply.

[0099] Furthermore, the multi-motion mode soft robot system drives the soft robot to crawl, roll and flip on flat ground as follows:

[0100] In this embodiment, Figure 1 The figure shows the initial static state. Taking the soft robot crawling in the positive direction of the ox axis as an example, the air supply control system 17 loads the silicone suction cups 1 and 12 on the long support leg to ensure that it is in a vacuum state. The adhesion force acting on the long support leg 10 can stably anchor it on the ground. At the same time, the air supply control system 17 quickly pressurizes the soft drive 3, causing the soft drive to bend upward and push the short support leg 8 forward. Once the short support leg 8 moves to a certain distance, the air supply control system 17 will switch to loading the silicone suction cups 5 and 6 on the short support leg, and unload the vacuum of the silicone suction cups 1 and 12 on the long support leg, so that it returns to its natural state. Then, the air supply control system unloads the soft drive 3, causing it to expand naturally, and pushes the long support leg 10 forward until the soft drive 3 returns to its original shape. After completing this process, the silicone suction cups 5 and 6 on the short support leg are disconnected to keep it in its natural state. The schematic diagram of this crawling process is shown in FIG. Figure 4 If the air supply control system loads the silicone suction cup on the long support leg again, the crawling action of the soft robot can be continuously realized;

[0101] For the initial state of rolling motion, the chamber layer of the soft actuator is in contact with the ground, which is different from crawling motion and flipping motion. When the soft robot is to perform rolling motion, the air supply control system 17 applies vacuum to the silicone suction cups 1 and 12 on the long supporting legs to ensure that they can be firmly attached to the ground, and then the air supply control system 17 pressurizes the soft actuator 3 at a high rate, forcing the soft actuator 3 to curl up quickly, and a large initial speed is accumulated at this moment. Once the soft actuator curls from a linear shape to an approximately circular shape, the air supply control system 17 unloads the vacuum of the silicone suction cups 1 and 12 on the long supporting legs. Due to inertia, the robot continues to roll forward like a wheel until the energy is exhausted. When the robot stops rolling, the air supply control system 17 unloads the soft actuator 3, and the soft actuator 3 begins to expand and return to its original state. The schematic diagram of this rolling process is shown in the figure below. Figure 5 If the air supply control system loads the silicone suction cup on the long support leg again, the rolling motion of the soft robot can be continuously realized;

[0102] When the soft robot is to perform a flipping motion, the air supply control system 17 applies vacuum to the silicone suction cups 5 and 6 on the short support leg to ensure that it can be firmly attached to the ground. At the same time, the air supply control system 17 applies high pressure to the soft actuator 3, and the soft actuator 3 bends quickly until the long support leg 10 contacts the short support leg 8. Due to the gradient height design of the internal chamber 19 of the soft actuator, under the action of high pressure, the average bending curvature of the area close to the short support leg 8 is greater than the average bending curvature of the area close to the long support leg 10, forming a whistle-like shape, causing the center of gravity of the entire soft robot to move to the right side of the short support leg 8. At this time, the air supply control system 17 quickly unloads the pressure of the soft actuator 3. Since the center of gravity of the soft robot is located on the right side of the short support leg 8, as the pressure is released, the soft actuator 3 begins to stretch upward from the long support leg 10, thereby causing the soft robot body to flip over. When the robot is completely flipped over, the air supply control system 17 unloads the vacuum of the silicone suction cups 5 and 6 on the short support leg, and the soft actuator 3 gradually stretches into a linear state and finally lies on the ground. The schematic diagram of this flipping process is shown in FIG. Figure 6 If the air supply control system loads the silicone suction cup on the short support leg again, the soft robot can continuously perform flipping movements.

[0103] In addition to the above-mentioned sports on flat ground, it also has good adaptability in some special occasions such as stairs, steep slopes, pipelines and other sports scenes. Figure 4 As shown, the soft robot of the present invention can climb slopes with multiple inclination angles, and even has the ability to climb steep slopes 23 by applying appropriate vacuum and pressure to the silicone suction cup and soft actuator in turn according to the slope inclination angle required to climb.

[0104] like Figure 5As shown, if the steering movement of the soft robot is to be realized, the single soft actuator is expanded to two parallel soft actuators 27 and 31, and the air supply control system first applies vacuum to the silicone suction cups 24 and 26 on the short support leg to ensure that it can be firmly attached to the ground. The air supply control system then pressurizes the soft actuator 31 on the right, and the soft actuator 31 on the right bends quickly. Due to the constraint of the soft actuator 27 on the left, the long support leg 29 rotates counterclockwise. Once the long support leg 29 rotates to a certain angle, the air supply control system will switch to applying vacuum to the silicone suction cups 28 and 30 on the long support leg, and unload the vacuum of the silicone suction cups 24 and 26 on the short support leg, so that it returns to its natural state. Subsequently, the air supply control system unloads the soft actuator 31 on the right, causing it to expand naturally, and pushes the short support leg 25 to rotate counterclockwise until the soft actuator 31 returns to its original shape. As shown Figure 6 As shown, if the air supply control system loads the silicone suction cup on the short support leg again, and then performs the above steps sequentially, the soft robot can continuously achieve the turning action. Similarly, if the air supply control system first applies pressure to the soft actuator 27 on the left, the soft robot can rotate clockwise.

[0105] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any other manner. Any person skilled in the art may utilize the above-disclosed technical content to modify or modify the present invention into equivalent embodiments. However, any simple modifications, equivalent variations, and modifications to the above embodiments that do not depart from the technical content of the present invention and are based on the technical essence of the present invention remain within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A biomimetic multi-motion mode soft robot system based on air pressure drive, characterized by: The soft robot system includes an air supply control system and a soft robot. The soft robot includes a soft drive array containing a soft drive (3), and also includes a plurality of suction cups disposed at the four corners of the soft drive array, the suction cups including a left front corner suction cup (1), a right front corner suction cup (12), a left rear corner suction cup (5), and a right rear corner suction cup (6) for adsorbing the ground. The soft drive includes a shell (18) and a plurality of air chambers (19) connected by air chamber connecting channels (20), the air chambers are arranged in a straight line in the inner cavity of the shell, and the height of the air chambers decreases linearly from the back to the front to form an air chamber array; the air chamber in the middle of the air chamber array is connected to the air supply control system; an inelastic layer (21) for limiting the deformation of the bottom surface of the shell is provided at the bottom of the soft drive; when the air chambers expand to different extents under the action of the pressure gas of the air supply control system, the soft drive is deformed into a curled shape under the constraint of the inelastic layer and drives the suction cup to move, and the air supply control system adjusts the shape of the soft drive and controls the adsorption state of each suction cup on the ground, so that the soft robot performs crawling, rolling or flipping movements on the ground.

2. The pneumatically driven biomimetic multi-motion mode soft robot system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail end of the soft driver is hinged to the short support leg (8), and the head end of the soft driver is hinged to the long support leg (10); the left rear corner suction cup (5) and the right rear corner suction cup (6) are fixed at the end of the short support leg (8); the left front corner suction cup (1) and the right front corner suction cup (12) are fixed at the end of the long support leg (10); when the soft robot moves, the groove-shaped suction cup structure at the end of the short support leg and the long support leg minimizes the distance between the center of gravity and the contact point and can rotate under the action of the gravity torque, so that the two support legs are rotated to the direction of maintaining the most stable posture, so that the adsorption surface of each suction cup faces the ground.

3. The pneumatically driven biomimetic multi-motion mode soft robot system according to claim 2, characterized in that: When viewed from above, the long support frame is longer than the short support frame to avoid collisions between the suction cups during the movement of the soft robot, allowing the soft actuator to accurately perform curling deformation under the control of the air supply control system. When the soft driver array includes two soft drivers, the two soft drivers are arranged in parallel and spaced apart on the left and right sides, and are connected to each other by a short supporting frame and a long supporting frame to form a soft driver array.

4. The pneumatically driven bionic multi-motion mode soft robot system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The left front corner suction cup (1), the right front corner suction cup (12), the left rear corner suction cup (5), and the right rear corner suction cup (6) are all silicone suction cups; The preparation method of the soft actuator comprises the following steps: designing a soft actuator mold by 3D printing, selecting silicone as the manufacturing material, and obtaining a finished product by casting.

5. The pneumatically driven bionic multi-motion mode soft robot system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The air supply control system comprises an air compressor (14), a vacuum pump (15), an air pressure control box (17), an air chamber air pipe (13) for connecting the air pressure control box and the air compressor, and a suction cup air pipe (16) for connecting the vacuum pump and the air pressure control box. The air compressor and the vacuum pump output high-pressure air or vacuum pressure to the air pressure control box. The air supply control system adjusts the output pressure through the air pressure control box and controls the air supply to the air chamber array, and the control content includes the time and frequency of the air supply.

6. The pneumatically driven biomimetic multi-motion mode soft robot system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The air chamber in the middle of the air chamber array within the soft actuator is connected to the air supply control system via an air pipe; adjacent air chamber cavities in the air chamber array are directly connected via an air chamber connecting channel. High-pressure air loaded by the air supply control system enters the air chamber in the middle of the air chamber array through the loading air pipe, then enters the adjacent air chamber cavity through the air chamber connecting channel, causing the air chamber cavity to expand under pressure. The loaded air pressure then continues to enter the next air chamber cavity through the air chamber connecting channel, causing the air chamber cavities of the soft actuator to expand and deform in sequence. Under the constraint of the non-stretchable layer, the soft actuator undergoes bending deformation. The left front corner suction cup (1), the right front corner suction cup (12), the left rear corner suction cup (5), and the right rear corner suction cup (6) are respectively connected to the air pressure control box via the left front corner suction cup air pipe (2), the left rear corner suction cup air pipe (4), the right front corner suction cup air pipe (11), and the right rear corner suction cup air pipe (7).

7. The pneumatically driven biomimetic multi-motion mode soft robot system according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the soft robot performs a forward crawling action on a horizontal ground, the control method thereof includes the following steps: Step A1: The air supply control system applies vacuum pressure to the suction cups on the long support legs to ensure that they are in a vacuum adsorption state on the ground. The adhesive force exerted by the suction cups on the long support legs stably adsorbs and anchors the soft robot head end to the ground. Step A2: The air supply control system rapidly pressurizes the soft actuator, causing it to bend upward and push the short support leg at the tail end forward. When the pressurization time is long enough for the short support leg to move a distance that reaches a threshold, the air supply control system switches to loading the silicone suction cup on the short support leg so that the tail end of the soft robot adheres to the ground, and unloads the vacuum from the silicone suction cup on the long support leg, returning it to its initial, unattached state. Step A3: The air supply control system unloads the air pressure in the flexible actuator, causing the flexible actuator to naturally extend and push the long support leg at the head end forward until the flexible actuator returns to its original shape, completing one crawling action. After this process is completed, the air path of the suction cup on the short support leg is disconnected to maintain its natural state. If the air supply control system loads the suction cup on the long support leg again, the above steps A1 to A3 are performed in sequence, and the soft robot continuously performs the crawling action.

8. The pneumatically driven bionic multi-motion mode soft robot system according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the soft robot performs a forward climbing action on an inclined ground, its control method is based on the slope angle that the soft robot needs to climb. The air supply control system will sequentially apply vacuum and boost pressure that match the slope angle to the suction cup and soft actuator to drive the soft robot to climb; The soft robot performs a crawling action that requires turning by setting two soft actuators arranged in parallel in the soft actuator array. If the turning is counterclockwise, the specific steps are as follows: Step S1: The air supply control system first applies vacuum to the suction cup on the short support leg of the soft robot to ensure that the tail end of the soft robot can be firmly attached to the ground; Step S2: The air supply control system pressurizes the soft actuator on the right side of the soft robot, causing the soft actuator on the right side to bend rapidly. Due to the constraint of the soft actuator on the left side, the long support leg at the head end of the soft robot rotates counterclockwise. Step S3: The long support leg rotates to the desired angle, and the air supply control system switches to apply vacuum to the silicone suction cup on the long support leg so that the head end of the soft robot is adsorbed to the ground. The air supply control system also unloads the vacuum from the silicone suction cup on the short support leg, returning it to its natural state, thereby releasing the adsorption of the tail end of the soft robot to the ground. Step S4: The air supply control system unloads the soft actuator on the right side, causing it to expand naturally, and pushes the short support leg at the tail end of the soft robot to rotate counterclockwise until the soft actuator returns to its original shape, completing the counterclockwise rotation of the crawling process; In the above steps S1 to S4 , if the air supply control system first applies pressure to the soft actuator on the left side, the soft robot turns clockwise.

9. The pneumatically driven bionic multi-motion mode soft robot system according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the soft robot performs a forward rolling motion on a horizontal ground, the control method includes the following steps: Step B1: The air supply control system applies vacuum to the suction cups on the long support legs to ensure that the soft robot head is firmly attached to the ground. In the initial state of rolling motion, the chamber layer of the soft actuator is in contact with the ground. Step B2: The air supply control system pressurizes the flexible actuator at a high rate, forcing the flexible actuator to curl up at a high speed and reach a large initial curling speed; thereby causing the center of mass of the flexible actuator to move rapidly to accumulate kinetic energy; Step B3: When the soft actuator curls from linear to approximately circular, the air supply control system unloads the vacuum of the suction cup on the long support leg. Under the action of inertia, the soft robot rolls forward in the shape of a wheel until the kinetic energy accumulated in step B2 is exhausted. Step B4: When the soft robot stops rolling, the air supply control system unloads the soft actuator, and the soft actuator begins to expand and return to its original state; If the air supply control system loads the silicone suction cup on the long support leg again, the above steps B1 to B4 are performed in sequence to continuously realize the rolling action of the soft robot.

10. The pneumatically driven bionic multi-motion mode soft robot system according to claim 6, characterized in that: When the soft robot performs a flipping action on a horizontal ground, the control method includes the following steps: Step C1: The air supply control system applies vacuum to the suction cup on the short support leg to ensure that the tail end of the soft robot is firmly attached to the ground; Step C2: The air supply control system applies high pressure to the soft actuator, causing it to bend rapidly until the long support leg contacts or is in close proximity to the short support leg. At this point, the high-pressure gas acts on the gradient-height distribution of the chamber structures within the soft actuator, causing the average curvature of the region near the short support leg to be greater than the average curvature of the region near the long support leg. The soft actuator deforms into a whistle-like shape, shifting the center of gravity of the entire soft robot to the right of the short support leg. Step C3: The air supply control system quickly unloads the pressure on the soft actuator. Since the center of gravity of the soft robot is located on the short support leg at the tail end, as the pressure is released, the long support leg at the head end of the soft actuator begins to stretch upward, causing the soft robot to flip over. Step C4: When the robot is completely turned over, the air supply control system unloads the vacuum of the suction cup on the short support leg, and the soft actuator gradually stretches into a linear state and finally lies on the ground; If the air supply control system loads the suction cup on the short support leg again, the above steps C1 to C4 are performed in sequence, and the soft robot continuously performs the flipping action.

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