Multi-field control magnetic miniature soft object-carrying robot and movement and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-field control magnetic miniature soft object-carrying robot and a movement and preparation method thereof, and relates to the field of soft robots, the multi-field control magnetic miniature soft object-carrying robot comprises a body and a clamping hand, and the body and the clamping hand are fixed through adhesion. The body adopts an annular magnetization mode, namely, the body is curled or wound along a specific direction to form a closed annular structure for magnetization. Only the body part of the robot is magnetized, so that under the action of an external uniform magnetic field, the body part can bend and wriggle to move forwards and steer. And the hand clamping part is not magnetized and cannot be interfered by a magnetic field so as to continuously and tightly clamp the load, and finally, the load can be released through heating. The multi-field control magnetic miniature soft object carrying robot is simple in structural design and manufacturing process, low in cost and easy to control, and a new technical path is provided for multi-mode control of the miniature robot in a complex environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of multi-field controlled micro soft-bodied load-carrying robots, and particularly relates to a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-bodied load-carrying robot and its movement and preparation methods. Background Art

[0002] Under the system of multi-field controlled micro soft-bodied load-carrying robots, the design core of magnetic micro soft-bodied load-carrying robots lies in the collaborative optimization of multi-modal material development and driving mechanisms to achieve adaptive movement and precise load-carrying in complex environments. Therefore, in order to improve the adaptability and versatility of magnetic micro soft-bodied load-carrying robots, researchers have gradually turned to exploring flexible materials with multi-response functions. As an intelligent material, liquid crystal elastomer is a special material that combines the dual characteristics of liquid crystal and elastomer after moderate cross-linking of liquid crystal polymers. Because it can produce significant morphological changes under the action of external stimuli (such as light, temperature, humidity, etc.), and this change is reversible, it has gradually become a research hotspot in the field of soft robots.

[0003] The multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-bodied load-carrying robot adopts a multi-field collaborative driving mode, which can effectively reduce the dependence on a single magnetic control structure, simplify the structure of traditional micro robots that require complex magnetization parameter design into an intelligent soft system that can be modularly assembled, and improve the diversity and adaptability of the robot. Driven by different physical fields, the multi-field controlled micro soft-bodied load-carrying robot can better complete multi-task collaboration and improve the functional efficiency of the soft robot. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the deficiencies in the functions of single-magnetic-control soft-bodied load-carrying robots, the present invention provides a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-bodied load-carrying robot and its preparation method. This robot can achieve the ability to wriggle and push forward as a whole and turn under the drive of a periodic uniform magnetic field, as well as the function of releasing the load under temperature field control, which has important practical significance.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] The present invention provides a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-bodied load-carrying robot, including a body and a gripper. The body and the gripper are fixed by adhesion. The body adopts a circular magnetization method, that is, it curls or winds along a specific direction to form a closed circular structure for magnetization.

[0007] A movement method of a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-bodied load-carrying robot includes the following steps:

[0008] A. Apply a periodic driving magnetic field to the robot. From 0 to T / 3 in the first period, when the magnetic field vertical direction angle is a fixed value and the magnetic field intensity increases from 0 to the second set value, the magnetic torque on the head of the robot body (1) anchors it, and the magnetic torque on the tail part of the body (1) gradually increases, causing it to lift. Here, T represents the period time.

[0009] B. In a non - first period from 0 to T / 3, when the magnetic field vertical direction angle is a fixed value and the magnetic field intensity increases from the third set value to the second set value, the magnetic torque on the head of the robot body (1) anchors it, and the magnetic torque on the tail part of the body (1) gradually increases, causing it to lift.

[0010] C. From T / 3 to 2T / 3 in the periodic driving magnetic field, the magnetic field vertical direction angle decreases from the fixed value to the first set value, and the magnetic field intensity remains at the second set value. During this process, the tail of the robot body (1) gradually lowers, the whole robot arches completely, and then the center of gravity of the robot shifts to the tail, anchoring the tail and lifting the head.

[0011] D. From 2T / 3 to T in the periodic driving magnetic field, the magnetic field vertical direction angle remains at the first set value, and the magnetic field intensity decreases from the second set value to the third set value. During this process, the tail of the robot body (1) remains anchored, pushing the head to gradually lower, thus completing the forward movement of the whole robot.

[0012] E. Repeat the above steps B, C, and D to achieve continuous stepping of the robot body (1) and make the robot move forward. During steps C and D, change the horizontal direction angle of the magnetic field to achieve the turning movement of the robot.

[0013] F. In the case of temperature - field driving, due to the characteristic of the liquid - crystal elastomer shrinking when heated, the gripper (2) will gradually clamp the load in the first stage of heating, and in the second stage, the shorter liquid - crystal elastomer will shrink under the load, thus releasing the load.

[0014] A preparation method of a multi - field - controlled magnetic micro - soft - body load - carrying robot includes the following steps:

[0015] S1. Mix silica gel and neodymium - iron - boron magnetic powder evenly and then pour it into a mold with a cube - shaped groove. After curing, take it out.

[0016] S2. Cut the cured single - piece magnetic soft - body material film in terms of size and magnetize it by means of circular magnetization.

[0017] S3. Pour the silica gel into a container, add pigments for dyeing, then apply it to one side of each of the two liquid crystal elastomers. After it cures, take it out, and bond the roots of the opposite sides of the two liquid crystal elastomers coated with silica gel with silica gel. After the silica gel cures, the two liquid crystal elastomers are connected together to form the gripper (2).

[0018] S4. Apply silica gel to the connection part between the body (1) made in S2 and the gripper (2) made in S3. After the silica gel cures, the body (1) and the gripper (2) are connected together.

[0019] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: The multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft body load-carrying robot proposed by the present invention adopts a cable-free magnetic-thermal dual-field cooperative driving mechanism. By precisely regulating the vector parameters (intensity, direction, and gradient distribution) of the external magnetic field, the deformation effect of the magnetic sheet robot body and the function of stepping and crawling are realized, and then the planar multi-degree-of-freedom motion and direction control are completed. This robot also integrates thermally responsive intelligent materials. On the premise of maintaining the stability of magnetic field control, the temperature field is used to trigger the phase change of the material to achieve the controllable release of the load. Compared with the prior art, the multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft body load-carrying robot proposed by the present invention has the advantages of simple structure, simple manufacturing process, small volume, and light weight. In addition, by using the periodic uniform magnetic field provided by the three-dimensional Helmholtz coil, this robot can move in any direction within the plane, with high operation flexibility and controllability. Different from the single-field control mechanism, the present invention integrates the dual-field cooperative driving mechanism of the magnetic field and the temperature field. While ensuring the stability of magnetic field control, the phase change effect of the intelligent material is induced by the temperature field to achieve the precise and controllable release of the load, thereby enhancing the adaptability and versatility of the robot in a dynamic environment. This dual-field control scheme significantly expands the motion degrees of freedom and functional performance of the robot, and further enhances its potential and operability in practical applications. Description of the Drawings

[0020] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. However, it should be known that these drawings are only designed for the purpose of explanation and therefore do not limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise specified, these drawings are only intended to conceptually illustrate the structural configuration described herein and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft body load-carrying robot provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the magnetization direction of the body part of the multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft body load-carrying robot provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3Schematic diagram of the clamping part of the multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body load-carrying robot provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body load-carrying robot moving forward in steps provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body load-carrying robot gradually releasing the load during heating provided by the embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0026] First of all, it should be noted that the following will specifically illustrate the specific structure, characteristics, advantages, etc. of the present invention by way of examples. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. In addition, any single technical feature described or implied in the embodiments mentioned in this article can still be arbitrarily combined or deleted between these technical features (or their equivalents), so as to obtain more other embodiments of the present invention that may not be directly mentioned in this article.

[0027] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "front", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of this invention is usually placed during use. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation to the present invention.

[0028] It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in this application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0029] Next, in combination with Figures 1 to 5 to specifically illustrate the present invention.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 1 , the embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body load-carrying robot, which includes a body 1 and a clamping hand 2. The body 1 and the clamping hand 2 are fixedly connected by silicone; the body 1 is a magnetic sheet-shaped soft-body robot, that is, a rectangular thin sheet; the material of the clamping hand 2 is taken from the edge part of a relatively thick liquid crystal elastomer sheet structure. This part of the liquid crystal elastomer is no longer just a rectangular thin sheet, but is closer to a cuboid, and can better stand upright on the body 1 after being adhered by silicone and bear the gravity of the load.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 2, an embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft body load-carrying robot. The silicone and neodymium iron boron magnetic powder at its body 1 part are mixed in different proportions and are magnetized in a circular manner. Among them, a 45° angle is reserved between the head and tail connection and the vertical magnetization direction to facilitate the robot to complete the turning mode more easily during the movement process.

[0032] Please refer to Figure 3 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft body load-carrying robot. Its gripper 2 is composed of two liquid crystal elastomers with different lengths. Silicone materials are coated on one side of the two outer sides. In this way, it can respond to the temperature field. When heated, the two liquid crystal elastomers will shrink instead of expand to prevent the load from falling to the roots of the two liquid crystal elastomers and being unable to be effectively released; the roots of the two liquid crystal elastomers are adhered together with silicone to prevent the load from falling during the crawling movement of the robot, and at the same time, it also increases the maximum load capacity of the robot.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 4 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft body load-carrying robot. By applying an external uniform periodic magnetic field, the tail and head are lifted and lowered successively to achieve forward stepping crawling. In addition, within one period, by changing the horizontal direction angle of the uniform magnetic field at any time period after the tail is lifted, the robot can perform turning motion.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 5 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft body load-carrying robot. Under the control of the external temperature field, it can realize the release of the load. At the initial stage of heating, because silicone is coated on both sides of the two liquid crystal elastomers, they will contract inward, thus clamping the load tighter, rather than expanding outward to cause the load to fall to the roots of the liquid crystal elastomers. Continuing to heat, the liquid crystal elastomers will shrink as a whole due to heat, resulting in a shorter length. The height of the longer liquid crystal elastomer is still higher than the load position, while the shorter liquid crystal elastomer will gradually shorten to below the load and no longer clamp the load, making the load in a free state. And the higher liquid crystal elastomer still has a tendency to bend inward, causing the load to fall, so as to achieve effective release.

[0035] A motion method of a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft body load-carrying robot, that is, the process of realizing crawling, turning and releasing the load, includes the following steps:

[0036] A. Apply a periodic driving magnetic field to the robot. At 0-T / 3 in the first period, the vertical direction angle of the magnetic field is a fixed value. During the process that the magnetic field intensity increases from 0 to the second set value, the magnetic torque received by the head of the robot's body anchors it, and the magnetic torque received by the tail part of the body gradually increases and thus lifts. Among them, T represents the period time;

[0037] B. When it is not the first period from 0 to T / 3, the magnetic field vertical direction angle is a fixed value. During the process where the magnetic field intensity increases from the third set value to the second set value, the magnetic torque acting on the head of the robot's body causes it to be anchored, and the magnetic torque acting on the tail part of the body gradually increases, causing it to lift up.

[0038] C. When it is the period of the driving magnetic field from T / 3 to 2T / 3, the magnetic field vertical direction angle decreases from the fixed value to the first set value, and the magnetic field intensity remains unchanged at the second set value. During this process, the tail of the robot's body (1) gradually lowers, the whole robot arches completely, and then the center of gravity of the robot shifts towards the tail, causing the tail to be anchored and the head to lift up.

[0039] D. When it is the period of the driving magnetic field from 2T / 3 to T, the magnetic field vertical direction angle remains unchanged at the first set value, and the magnetic field intensity decreases from the second set value to the third set value. During this process, the tail of the robot's body (1) remains anchored, pushing the head to gradually lower, thereby completing the overall forward movement. When the robot moves in a certain direction, the body part closer to the moving direction is called the head, and the other end is the tail.

[0040] E. By repeating the above steps B, C, and D, the robot's body can take continuous steps to make the robot move forward. And by changing the horizontal direction angle of the magnetic field during steps C and D, the robot can perform a turning motion.

[0041] F. Under the drive of the temperature field, due to the characteristic that the liquid crystal elastomer shrinks when heated, the gripper (2) will gradually clamp the load during the first stage of heating, and in the later stage, the shorter liquid crystal elastomer will shrink under the load, thereby releasing the load.

[0042] The above fixed value is the same given value, and its value needs to be actually set according to the magnetic response characteristics of the robot.

[0043] A preparation method of a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft body load-carrying robot includes the following steps:

[0044] S1. Mix silica gel and neodymium iron boron magnetic powder in a ratio of 1:1 and stir evenly, then pour it into a mold with a cube-shaped groove, and take it out after curing.

[0045] S2. Cut the cured single-piece magnetic soft body material film in terms of size, and magnetize it by means of circular magnetization.

[0046] S3. Pour silica gel into a container, add pigment for dyeing, then coat it on one side of each of the two liquid crystal elastomers, take it out after curing, and bond the roots of the opposite sides of the two liquid crystal elastomers coated with silica gel with silica gel. After the silica gel cures, the two liquid crystal elastomers are connected together to form a gripper.

[0047] S4. Apply silicone to the connection between the body made in S2 and the gripper made in S3. After the silicone cures, the body and the gripper are connected together.

[0048] It should be noted that the materials of the two parts, the robot body 1 and the gripper 2, can be replaced with other materials having similar material properties to those in the embodiment.

[0049] Since the three-dimensional Helmholtz coil can generate a uniform magnetic field in any direction, for the crawling or turning motion of the robot, the multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body carrier robot is placed inside the three-dimensional Helmholtz coil, and by controlling the coil to generate a periodically changing uniform magnetic field, various motions of the robot can be realized. In this environment, it is often difficult to apply a temperature field. Therefore, a photothermal field can be used to provide temperature through light irradiation.

[0050] The above embodiments have described the present invention in detail. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present invention, and should not be considered as limiting the scope of implementation of the present invention. Any equivalent changes and improvements made within the scope of the application of the present invention shall still fall within the scope covered by the patent of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body robot, characterized in that: The device comprises a body (1) and a gripper (2), wherein the body (1) and the gripper (2) are fixed by adhesion, and the body (1) is magnetized in an annular manner, that is, it is curled or wound along a specific direction to form a closed annular structure for magnetization.

2. The multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The body (1) is made of silica gel and NdFeB magnetic powder mixed in a ratio of 1:1, and after solid magnetization, the magnetization directions of the head and tail of the body (1) tend to be consistent.

3. The multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gripper (2) is made of a liquid crystal elastomer-silicone composite material, and the liquid crystal elastomer material is taken from the edge portion of the liquid crystal elastomer sheet structure.

4. The multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: Under the action of an external periodic magnetic field, the head part of the body (1) is anchored first, and the tail part of the body (1) is lifted, causing the robot to arch; as the magnetic field changes, the center of gravity of the robot gradually shifts from the head to the tail part, so that the tail part is anchored. At this time, the magnetic field is canceled, causing the head part of the body (1) to fall forward, thereby completing the robot's crawling within one cycle.

5. The multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The body (1) is a rectangular thin sheet, the gripper (2) is two rectangular parallelepipeds of different lengths, and the bottom of the body (1) and the bottom of the gripper (2) are bonded together by silicone.

6. A crawling motion method of a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The steps include: A. A periodic driving magnetic field is applied to the robot. At 0-T / 3 of the first cycle, the vertical direction angle of the magnetic field is a fixed value. During the process of increasing the magnetic field strength from 0 to the second set value, the head of the robot body (1) is anchored by the magnetic torque, and the tail of the body (1) is lifted by the gradually increasing magnetic torque; wherein T represents the cycle time; B. In a period other than the first one, 0-T / 3, the vertical direction angle of the magnetic field is a fixed value. During the process of the magnetic field strength increasing from the third set value to the second set value, the head of the robot body (1) is anchored by the magnetic torque, and the tail part of the body (1) is lifted by the gradually increasing magnetic torque; C. When the magnetic field is driven periodically at T / 3-2T / 3, the vertical direction angle of the magnetic field decreases from a fixed value to a first set value, and the magnetic field strength remains unchanged at a second set value; during this process, the tail of the robot body (1) gradually drops down, and the entire robot is completely arched, and then the center of gravity of the robot shifts toward the tail, so that the tail is anchored and the head is lifted; D. When the magnetic field is driven periodically at 2T / 3-T, the vertical direction angle of the magnetic field remains unchanged at the first set value, and the magnetic field strength decreases from the second set value to the third set value; in this process, the tail of the robot body (1) is still anchored, pushing the head to gradually lower, thereby completing the overall movement of the robot; E. Repeat steps B, C, and D above to achieve continuous stepping of the robot body (1) so that the robot moves forward, and change the horizontal angle of the magnetic field during steps C and D to achieve steering movement of the robot; F. When driven by the temperature field, the gripper (2) will gradually clamp the load in the early stage of heating due to the characteristic of the liquid crystal elastomer that it shrinks when heated, while in the latter stage, the shorter liquid crystal elastomer will shrink to the bottom of the load, thereby releasing the load.

7. A method for preparing a multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The steps include: S1. Mix the silica gel and NdFeB magnetic powder and stir evenly, then pour them into a cube-shaped groove mold and take them out after solidification; S2, cutting the solidified single piece of magnetic soft material film into size, and magnetizing it by a ring magnetization method; S3, pouring silicone into a container, adding pigment to dye it, and then applying it to each side of the two liquid crystal elastomers, taking it out after solidification, and bonding the roots of the opposite sides of the two liquid crystal elastomers coated with silicone with silicone; after the silicone is solidified, the two liquid crystal elastomers are connected together to form a gripper (2); S4. Apply silicone to the connection between the body (1) made in S2 and the gripper (2) made in S3. After the silicone is cured, the body (1) and the gripper (2) are connected together.

8. The method for preparing the multi-field controlled magnetic micro soft-body robot according to claim 7, characterized in that: In S4, a side of the liquid crystal elastomer coated with silicone is placed on an edge portion of a long side of the rectangular body (1).

Images