Self-driving system of snail-imitating soft robot with tactile perception function
By designing a snail-inspired triboelectric effect, utilizing a spiral shell and the telescopic structure of the actuator, combined with a triboelectric thin-film sensor, the self-driving and tactile perception of the soft robot are realized. This solves the problems of complex driving, high energy consumption, and poor continuity in existing technologies, and achieves low-energy autonomous continuous motion and tactile perception.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ZHEJIANG UNIV
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-29
AI Technical Summary
Existing soft robot driving methods are complex, energy-intensive, and lack continuity, as well as self-driving and tactile perception capabilities.
It adopts a snail-inspired triboelectric effect design, utilizing a spiral shell, actuator, and antennae to achieve self-drive and tactile sensing through a triboelectric thin film sensor. Combined with an air pump to control the extension and retraction structure of the actuator, it achieves continuous movement.
It achieves low energy consumption, autonomous continuous movement and tactile perception, is highly adaptable, suitable for self-driving in complex terrain, and requires no human intervention.
Smart Images
Figure CN120839761B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of soft robots, specifically relating to a self-driven system for a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing capabilities. Background Technology
[0002] Soft robots specifically refer to intelligent actuators with controllable movements that are partially or entirely made of flexible materials. Due to their soft materials and flexible deformation capabilities, they are increasingly being used in fields such as resource exploration and military applications. However, soft robots still have shortcomings in terms of driving methods and the ability to achieve continuous motion. Currently used driving methods such as hydraulic and electromagnetic methods have disadvantages such as complex structure, high energy consumption, and poor stability and continuity. Therefore, this invention proposes a self-driving system for a snail-inspired soft robot based on the triboelectric effect.
[0003] Triboelectricity is a ubiquitous physical phenomenon in nature, occurring between triboelectric materials of different polarities. These materials, due to their flexibility, can be embedded in complex and varied geometric configurations, conforming well to structural deformations without affecting their performance. Snails, as mollusks, have attracted researchers' attention with their unique mode of locomotion. Snails can move slowly and steadily in complex terrain, their locomotion primarily involving the utilization of friction. Through the contraction and expansion of their muscles, snails generate localized friction on their soft surfaces, propelling them forward. Snails can serve as excellent examples for biomimicry.
[0004] This invention addresses the shortcomings of traditional driving methods, such as lack of self-driving and continuous motion capabilities, complex driving structures, high power consumption, and inability to achieve monitoring and perception. It proposes a snail-inspired soft robot self-driving system with advantages such as low energy consumption, strong adaptability, continuous self-driving, and tactile perception. This system has broad prospects in fields such as long-distance transportation, inclined plane crawling and basic obstacle handling, and monitoring and perception. Summary of the Invention
[0005] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to propose a self-driven system for a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function, which can realize tactile sensing and continuous autonomous movement of the soft robot without any human intervention.
[0006] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution: a self-driven system for a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function, comprising a spiral shell, a body, an actuator, and tentacles;
[0007] The actuator includes a front foot and a hind foot, as well as a telescopic structure connecting the front foot and the hind foot;
[0008] The telescopic structure comprises two symmetrically designed parts. Using a shared cylindrical elastic cavity unit as a rotation axis, rotating any one part of the structure 180° around this axis forms the other part. Each part includes an outer layer, an inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit, and a cylindrical elastic cavity unit. The inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity units are symmetrically distributed around the cylindrical elastic cavity unit as an axis. Each inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit is shaped like an inverted frustum, with its top end connected to the cylindrical elastic cavity unit and its bottom end connected to the outer layer. The hollow cavities of each inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit are independent in three-dimensional space, but are all connected through a built-in ventilation channel connected to an air pump inside the spiral outer shell, ensuring synchronous air pressure transmission.
[0009] The body is used to connect the spiral outer shell and the actuator; the body and the actuator are made of flexible materials.
[0010] The antenna is a tactile sensor with a triboelectric thin film structure. When it touches an obstacle that hinders its movement during movement, it generates a triboelectric signal to identify the obstacle.
[0011] Furthermore, the coefficient of friction on the rearward side of both the forefoot and hindfoot is greater than the coefficient of friction on the forward side.
[0012] Furthermore, the outer layer is a flexible silicone shell layer connected to the body, and the whole is a spindle-shaped flexible shell extending along the front and rear axis, used to wrap the internal structure and provide a basis for deformation.
[0013] Furthermore, the cylindrical elastic cavity unit is cylindrical and seamlessly connected to the top of the two inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity units; the two inverted frustum-shaped units are arranged in a back-to-back mirror symmetry in three-dimensional space with the cylindrical elastic cavity unit as the axis.
[0014] Furthermore, the bottom end of the front frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit is seamlessly bonded to the inner side of the front end of the outer layer and the three-dimensional protrusion in the body to form a sealed cavity, while the top end is integrally connected to one side of the columnar elastic cavity unit; the bottom end of the rear frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit is integrally connected to the inner side of the middle of the outer layer, and the top end is integrally connected to the other side of the columnar elastic cavity unit.
[0015] Furthermore, the built-in ventilation channel passes through the center of the inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit and the columnar elastic cavity unit, realizing complete connection of the internal cavities of the entire telescopic structure.
[0016] Furthermore, an air pump and a microprocessor for controlling the air pump's opening and closing are installed inside the spiral-shaped outer shell. The air pump is connected to the telescopic structure of the driver through a built-in ventilation channel. The microprocessor is connected to the antenna and receives the triboelectric signals generated by the antenna, providing the microprocessor with a basis for obstacle recognition.
[0017] Furthermore, the forelegs and hindlegs are trapezoidal, and the body has a connecting structure, which is a strip-shaped groove extending along the front-rear axis of the robot; the forelegs are fixed to the connecting structure of the body, and the top of the hindlegs are embedded in the groove of the connecting structure, and can slide linearly along the front-rear direction of the groove, so that when the telescopic structure of the actuator is in the air intake state, the inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit contracts and deforms, causing the overall telescopic structure to contract; when in the air release state, it returns to its initial shape.
[0018] Furthermore, when the telescopic structure of the actuator is in the air intake and deflation state, the rear side of the front foot grips the ground, the rear foot moves forward through the telescopic structure, then the rear side of the rear foot presses against the ground, and the front foot moves forward, thus realizing the alternating forward movement of the front and rear feet, thereby realizing the overall forward movement of the robot.
[0019] Furthermore, the antenna is a tactile sensor with a four-layer triboelectric thin film structure, consisting of a conductive aluminum foil, an FEP film, a Kapton film, and another conductive aluminum foil from the inside out. When the triboelectric thin film is squeezed, it deforms. Due to its own elasticity, it recovers its deformation after deformation, generating a triboelectric signal, which is transmitted to the microprocessor. The microprocessor compares the signal with a set threshold. If the signal is greater than the voltage threshold, it outputs a control signal to shut down the air pump, thereby cutting off the telescopic deformation of the actuator's telescopic structure, and the snail-like soft robot stops moving.
[0020] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:
[0021] 1. The overall structure is made of soft silicone. The snail-like soft robot's shell has a spiral design, and the interior adopts a hollow structure design. The telescopic structure in the actuator is an integrated flexible cavity structure composed of four layers, inner and outer. Two inverted frustum-shaped and one columnar structure are combined in a mirror manner to form one side of the telescopic structure, and then rotated to obtain the other side of the telescopic structure. The two sides are connected by another columnar unit. The built-in air channel runs through the center of the four inverted frustum-shaped units and the three columnar units, realizing the complete connection of the internal cavity of the entire telescopic structure. The bottom of the actuator includes front feet and hind feet. The friction coefficients of the front feet and hind feet are different on the front and rear sides. The friction coefficient of the rear side is large, and the friction coefficient of the front side is small. This is used to increase the reaction force generated by the ground when moving forward. When gas is filled in and released, the overall structure contracts and expands. The rear side of the front foot has a larger friction coefficient and grips the ground. The hind foot moves forward through the telescopic structure. Then, the rear side of the hind foot presses against the ground, and the front foot moves forward. In this way, the front and hind feet move forward alternately, thus realizing the overall forward movement of the robot.
[0022] 2. The triboelectric thin film is a four-layer thin film structure design, which is embedded in the tactile sensor structure. The voltage signal generated by the bending deformation of the triboelectric thin film is collected by a microprocessor. It has the advantages of simple preparation process and stable output voltage.
[0023] 3. In the self-driving system of the snail-like soft robot, the voltage signal generated by the bending deformation of the triboelectric thin film is used to control the opening and closing of the air circuit, thereby controlling the robot to move forward. The entire movement process does not require human intervention and can realize the self-driving continuous crawling of the snail-like soft robot. Attached Figure Description
[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall system of the present invention.
[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the robot of the present invention.
[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the robot actuator structure of the present invention.
[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the spiral shell of the robot of the present invention.
[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the mechanism of the triboelectric tactile sensor of the present invention.
[0030] In the figure: spiral shell 1; air pump 101; microprocessor 102; air vent 103; body 2; connecting structure 201; actuator 3; forelegs 301; hind legs 302; telescopic structure 303; outer layer 303a; inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit 303b; columnar elastic cavity unit 303c; built-in ventilation channel 303d; antennae 4; tactile sensor 401. Detailed Implementation
[0031] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0032] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a self-driven system for a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function is characterized by comprising a spiral shell 1, a body 2, an actuator 3, and tentacles 4 of the snail-like soft robot.
[0033] The spiral shell 1 of the snail-like soft robot is connected to the actuator 3 via an air tube;
[0034] The spiral shell 1 of the snail-like soft robot is connected in sequence to the antennae 4 and the actuator 3 via wires.
[0035] The spiral outer shell 1 has a spiral design on the outside and a hollow design inside to protect the body and provide support; the body 2 and the actuator 3 are made of silicone material with advantages such as waterproof, corrosion resistance and high flexibility, and are both made by silicone injection molding and finally bonded together with silicone; the microprocessor 102 controls the air pump 101 to turn on or off, and compressed air enters the chamber of the actuator 3 or releases the air in the chamber to the outside.
[0036] The actuator's bottom includes front feet 301 and hind feet 302, which are trapezoidal. The front and hind feet 301 and 302 have different coefficients of friction on their forward and rearward sides; the rearward side has a higher coefficient of friction (sandpaper can be used), while the forward side has a lower coefficient of friction (ordinary paper can be used), to increase the reaction force generated by the ground during forward movement. The front feet are fixed to the body connection structure 201, while the hind feet move freely on the body connection structure 201. This allows the snail-like soft robot's telescopic structure to contract and deform in the air-intake state and return to its initial shape in the deflated state. When the snail-like soft robot actuator 3 is in the air-intake and deflated states, the rear side of the front foot 301, with its higher coefficient of friction, grips the ground. The hind foot 302 moves forward through the telescopic structure 303, then the rear side of the hind foot 302 presses against the ground, and the front foot 301 moves forward. This alternating forward movement of the front and hind feet 302 enables the robot to move forward as a whole.
[0037] The actuator body includes a telescopic structure 303, which is an integrated flexible cavity structure symmetrically distributed along the machine axis. It consists of four layers from the outside in: an outer layer 303a, a flexible silicone shell connected to the body 2, used to enclose the internal structure and provide a basis for deformation; an inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit 303b, which is located on the side of the telescopic structure 303 and has an internal hollow cavity for accommodating compressed air; and a cylindrical elastic cavity unit 303c, which is seamlessly connected to the end of the inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit 303b. The two inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity units 303b are positioned "back-to-back" in three-dimensional space. The front frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit 303b is seamlessly bonded to the inner front end of the outer layer 303a and the rear three-dimensional protrusion of the body connecting structure 201 to form a sealed cavity, while its bottom end is integrally connected to one side of the columnar elastic cavity unit 303c. The rear frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit 303b is fused to the inner middle of the outer layer 303a, while its bottom end is integrally connected to the other side of the columnar elastic cavity unit 303c. The built-in ventilation channel 303d passes through the center of the four frustum-shaped elastic cavity units 303b and the two columnar elastic cavity units 303c, realizing complete connection of the internal cavities of the entire telescopic structure 303. One end of the channel is connected to the air pump 101 inside the spiral outer shell 1 through an air pipe. The microprocessor controls the opening and closing of the air pump, thereby compressing air into the chamber of the actuator or absorbing air from the chamber to the outside.
[0038] like Figure 5 As shown, the tactile sensor 401 uses a contact-separation working mode and is a four-layer triboelectric film structure, consisting of a conductive aluminum foil, an FEP film, a Kapton film, and another conductive aluminum foil from top to bottom. When the triboelectric film is compressed, it deforms. Due to its elasticity, it recovers its original shape after deformation, generating a triboelectric signal that controls the microprocessor's on / off state. When the snail-like soft robot is in a driven state, the FEP film and the Kapton film are in contact; when the snail-like soft robot is in a non-driven state, the FEP film and the Kapton film are separated. During bending and deformation, a voltage signal is generated and transmitted to the microprocessor 102.
[0039] The tactile sensor is used to generate a voltage signal when touching an object. The microprocessor 102 is used to collect the voltage signal generated by the triboelectric film and compare the collected voltage signal with a set voltage threshold. If the voltage signal is greater than the voltage threshold, a control signal is output to shut down the control air pump 101, thereby cutting off the extension and contraction of the driver telescopic structure 303, and thus controlling the movement of the forelegs 301 and hindlegs 302 of the snail-like soft robot.
[0040] Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The working principle of the snail-like soft robot tactile perception self-driving system based on the triboelectric effect is explained in detail. The air pump 101 is kept on, and air enters the chamber of the telescopic structure 303. The snail-like soft robot actuator 3 contracts and deforms to enter the driving state. According to the principle of triboelectric generation, the tactile sensor touches the object and generates a voltage signal, which is transmitted to the microprocessor 102. The microprocessor controls the air pump to turn off. The compressed air in the chamber is released to the outside, and the snail-like soft robot actuator 3 returns to the non-driven state. The air pump 101 alternately turns on and off, thereby realizing the overall forward movement of the robot.
[0041] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A self-driven system for a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function, characterized in that, It includes a spiral shell (1), a body (2), a actuator (3), and tentacles (4); The driver (3) includes a front foot (301) and a hind foot (302) and a telescopic structure (303) connecting the front foot (301) and the hind foot (302). The telescopic structure (303) comprises two symmetrically designed parts. Using a shared columnar elastic cavity unit (303c) as the axis of rotation, rotating any one part of the structure 180° around the axis forms the other part. Each part includes an outer layer (303a), an inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit (303b), and a columnar elastic cavity unit (303c). The inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit (303b) is symmetrically distributed about the columnar elastic cavity unit (303c) as its axis. The inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit (303b) is shaped like an inverted frustum, with its top end connected to the columnar elastic cavity unit (303c) and its bottom end connected to the outer layer (303a). The hollow cavities of each inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit (303b) are independent in three-dimensional space, but are all connected through a built-in ventilation channel (303d) connected to the air pump (101) inside the spiral outer shell (1), ensuring synchronous air pressure transmission. The body (2) is used to connect the spiral shell (1) and the actuator (3), and the body (2) and the actuator (3) are made of flexible materials; The antenna (4) is a tactile sensor with a triboelectric thin film structure. When it touches an obstacle that hinders its movement during the movement, it generates a triboelectric signal to identify the obstacle. The antenna (4) is a tactile sensor with a four-layer triboelectric thin film structure, which consists of a conductive aluminum foil, an FEP film, a Kapton film and a conductive aluminum foil from the inside out. When the triboelectric film is squeezed, it deforms. Due to its own elasticity, it will recover after deformation, generating a triboelectric signal, which is transmitted to the microprocessor (102). The microprocessor compares the signal with a set threshold. If the signal is greater than the voltage threshold, it outputs a control signal to control the air pump (101) to shut down, thereby cutting off the telescopic deformation of the driver (3)'s telescopic structure (303), and the snail-like soft robot stops moving.
2. The self-driving system of a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The friction coefficient of the forefoot (301) and hindfoot (302) on the rearward side is greater than that on the forward side.
3. The self-driving system of a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer layer (303a) is a flexible silicone shell layer connected to the body (2). It is a spindle-shaped flexible shell extending along the front and rear axes, used to wrap the internal structure and provide a basis for deformation.
4. The self-driving system of a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cylindrical elastic cavity unit (303c) is cylindrical and seamlessly connected to the top of the two inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity units (303b); the two inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity units are arranged in a back-to-back mirror symmetry in three-dimensional space with the cylindrical elastic cavity unit (303c) as the axis.
5. The self-driving system of a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function according to claim 4, characterized in that, The bottom end of the front frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit (303b) is seamlessly bonded to the inner front end of the outer layer (303a) and the three-dimensional protrusion in the body (2) to form a sealed cavity, while the top end is integrally connected to one side of the columnar elastic cavity unit (303c); the bottom end of the rear frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit (303b) is integrally connected to the inner middle side of the outer layer (303a), and the top end is integrally connected to the other side of the columnar elastic cavity unit (303c).
6. The self-driving system of a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The built-in ventilation channel (303d) passes through the center of the inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit (303b) and the columnar elastic cavity unit (303c), realizing the complete connection of the internal cavity of the entire telescopic structure (303).
7. The self-driving system of a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function according to claim 1, characterized in that, An air pump (101) and a microprocessor (102) for controlling the opening and closing of the air pump (101) are installed inside the spiral shell (1). The air pump (101) is connected to the telescopic structure (303) of the driver (3) through the built-in ventilation channel (303d). The microprocessor (102) is connected to the antenna (4) and receives the triboelectric signal generated by the antenna (4) to provide obstacle recognition basis for the microprocessor (102).
8. The self-driving system of a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The forelegs (301) and hindlegs (302) are trapezoidal, and the body (2) has a connecting structure (201), which is a strip-shaped groove extending along the front and rear axis of the robot. The forelegs (301) are fixed on the connecting structure (201) of the body (2), and the top of the hindlegs (302) is embedded in the groove of the connecting structure (201) and can slide linearly along the front and rear direction of the groove. This causes the inverted frustum-shaped elastic cavity unit (303b) of the telescopic structure (303) of the actuator (3) to contract and deform in the air intake state, resulting in the overall telescopic structure (303) contracting. In the air release state, it returns to its initial shape.
9. A self-driving system for a snail-like soft robot with tactile sensing function according to claim 8, characterized in that, When the telescopic structure (303) of the actuator (3) is in the air intake and air release state, the rear side of the front foot (301) grips the ground, and the rear foot (302) moves forward through the telescopic structure (303). Then the rear side of the rear foot (302) presses against the ground, and the front foot (301) moves forward. In this way, the front foot (301) and the rear foot (302) move forward alternately, thereby realizing the overall forward movement of the robot.