Active Reeling and Steering Control of Vine-Like Robots

Abstract

The soft vine robot includes a body configured as a tube, inverted within itself to define a pressure channel, such that when the channel is pressurized, the body everts and the inverted member of the body everts and tips out at a distal end of the body. A winding mechanism is controlled by a winding motor, the winding mechanism being internal to the tube and configured to actively feed the inverted member, provide or assist eversion, and actively retract the extended member of the body. Control and communication electronics control the winding motor. The winding mechanism may include a steering mechanism having a bending axis controlled by a steering motor. By actively providing an eversion or inversion force within the robot body, the soft vine robot can grow with reduced pressure compared to a base winding robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Statement Regarding Government Rights) This invention was made with government support under Grant Numbers 1637446 and 1944816 awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. The government has certain rights in this invention.

[0002] (Claims of Priority and Citing of Related Applications) This application claims priority to prior provisional application No. 63 / 160,281, filed on March 12, 2021, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, and all applicable statutes or treaties.

[0003] (Field) The field of the present invention is an everted robot, also known as a vine-like robot.

Background Art

[0004] The vine-shaped robot is formed from a soft material and everts in response to fluid pressure. Specifically, the vine-shaped robot is driven by an internal body pressure and extends from its tip by everting or spreading a new member. See, for example, Patent Document 1 of Hawkes et al. The vine-shaped robot generally stores a new body member in a reel at its base, and the member is fed out as the robot extends, everts in response to fluid pressure, and passes the member through the center of the robot to the tip. These robots are thin membranes consisting of membranes everted within themselves and "grow" when inflated, realizing extension by sending a new member out from the tip through the body. The body of the vine-shaped robot does not move relative to the periphery of the vine-shaped robot. Some vine-shaped robots achieve active steering by selectively extending or shortening one side of the extending body. This approach to steering and member storage, while suitable for a completely soft device, has three important limitations: (i) internal friction of the member passing through the center of the robot limits the length of the member within the tortuous path, (ii) buckling of the body when the body member of the robot is rewound at the base can prevent retraction, and (iii) steering with a constant curvature limits the pose of the robot and the object approach angle within a given workspace.

[0005] To overcome the limitations of constant curvature manipulation, several designs have been proposed. One design is based on tendon drive combined with pneumatic shape locking. Non - Patent Document 1 by S. Wang, R. Zhang, D. A. Haggerty, N. D. Naclerio, and E. W. Hawkes. Another design uses discrete and reversible body stiffness adjustment. Non - Patent Document 2 by B. H. Do, V. Banashek, and A. M. Okamura. A further design uses mechanical interlocking. Non - Patent Document 3 by W. Hawkes, L. H. Blumenschein, J. D. Greer, and A. M. Okamura. Another design uses active and programmable heat sealing. Non - Patent Document 4 by Y. Satake, A. Takanishi, and H. Ishii. These designs cannot provide free and active control in the growth direction and / or cannot significantly change the growth nature of the vine - like robot.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Non - Patent Documents

[0007]

Non - Patent Document 1

Non - Patent Document 2

[0008] The preferred embodiment provides a soft vine robot. The robot has a body configured as a tube that defines an inverted pressure channel within itself, such that when the channel is pressurized, the body everts, and the inverted member of the body everts and exits outward from the tip at the distal end of the body, including the body. The take-up mechanism is controlled by a take-up motor, and the take-up mechanism is inside the tube and is configured to actively feed the inverted member, provide or assist eversion, and actively retract the extended member of the body. The control and communication electronics control the take-up motor. In the preferred embodiment, the take-up mechanism includes a steering mechanism having a bending axis controlled by a steering motor.

[0009] A method for controlling the eversion and inversion of a soft vine robot includes pressurizing a channel of a body configured as a tube that has an inverted channel within itself. The method includes actively supplying an eversion force or an inversion force to the body via a roller or spool driven by a take-up motor housed inside the channel. The channel pressure and the eversion force or inversion force are balanced by a pressure control device and the take-up motor. In the preferred embodiment, the body is steered by bending a pivot structure inside the body by a steering motor inside the body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1A

Figure 1B

Figure 1C

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 2C

Figure 2D

Figure 2E

Figure 2F

Figure 2G

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The preferred embodiment provides point deformation to the articulated robot device via a bending motor that provides steering and reeling on the device. Instead of reeling from the base as in a conventional articulated robot, the preferred articulated robot can reel from the tip using a mounted reeling motor. An Active Reeling Mechanism (ARM) or a Steering-Reeling Mechanism (SRM) enables the device to "run" along the tail of the robot, thereby controlling the length, driving the robot at its position along the tail, and thereby controlling the direction. The preferred articulated robot provides finer control over steering and reeling, thus providing better access to a given workspace, retraction of any length, and elimination of tail friction, thereby enabling the preferred articulated robot to pass through more tortuous paths. These features lead to an advancement in articulated robot technology that improves the exploration ability in many different environments, especially in applications such as search and rescue where rubble may pose a very tortuous and difficult search target path.

[0012] The hybrid soft-hard articulated robot of the preferred embodiment includes a soft articulated robot body and a rigid and movable internal ARM or SRM. The ARM or SRM comprises a member storage section or a member passage to another ARM or SRM device. The SRM device includes a bending actuator for steering by bending via a pivot between the ends of the SRM and can drive the robot at any position along the length of the robot. This hybrid configuration extends the reach, enables retraction, and expands the workspace along a tortuous path. The robot remains soft at all positions except at the position of the SRM. The hybrid articulated robot of the present invention may include a plurality of SRM devices capable of creating complex turning patterns along the length of the robot. The plurality of SRM devices also enables turning along multiple radial / different planes.

[0013] Preferred robots can also reduce the pressure required for growth. The ARM or SRM can provide a force to assist in the eversion and growth of the robot. This is beneficial especially when the environment, such as a body cavity, is pressure-sensitive. As the vine-shaped robot everts and grows, the frictional force applied to the vine-shaped robot increases. In conventional vine-shaped robots, this frictional force is overcome by fluid pressure. The ARM or SRM can provide an eversion-assisting force and thus reduce the fluid pressure required for eversion or continuous eversion. The ARM or SRM can assist in retracting the robot by re-inverting the member. Further, the ARM or SRM can provide various eversions and inversions achieved solely or mainly by the force supplied by the ARM or SRM.

[0014] Since the total path angle is no longer restricted by tail friction but instead by the length of the robot itself, the vine-shaped robot equipped with the ARM and SRM of the preferred embodiment can provide a longer length when growing through a tortuous path. Regardless of the length, retraction remains possible, and the robot can retract when the ARM or SRM moves to the tip at any length. A wider working space is provided by the robot equipped with the SRM, and the orientation at a given position, which was a single angle in the conventional design, expands to a continuous range. In principle, it can be bent up to 180 degrees in any direction around the axis. In a specific example, it is up to 115 degrees. When rotation is applied to the ARM or SRM, it can be bent in any direction. The vine-shaped robot equipped with the ARM and SRM can further extend compared to conventional vine-shaped robots, especially in a working space sensitive to pressure.

[0015] Preferred embodiments include a snail-shaped robot having an ARM. The ARM includes a distal opening for receiving a member of the snail-shaped robot and a proximal member storage container such as a bag. The active winding mechanism can pull the member and evert the robot as the ARM advances with the distal tip of the snail-shaped robot as eversion continues. The ARM assists in retraction by driving in the reverse of the winding mechanism. This snail-shaped robot is particularly useful within a defined tortuous path such as a body cavity. The snail-shaped robot can evert under a pressure low enough to be safe even when used within a body cavity.

[0016] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to experiments and drawings. Broader aspects of the present invention will be understood by those skilled in the art in view of the general knowledge in the art and the following description of the experiments.

[0017] Figures 1A and 1B show a preferred SRM100 in a bent shape and a straight shape, and Figure 1C shows the SRM100 within the robotic arm 102. The SRM100 includes a cylindrical proximal electronics housing 104. The electronics housed therein include a motor controller and a wireless communication device, such as Bluetooth, for performing SRM control. A wired connection, although inferior in preference, may be used and extends from the housing 104 through the robotic lumen to the proximal end of the robot and connects to the robot controller. The proximal base frame 106 has two opposing struts 108 that extend from the electronics housing 104. The struts 108 provide a pivotal connection via a pivot pin 110 to a distal motor support frame 112 that also includes the two struts 108. The motor support frame 112 includes motor supports such as a base 114 and a crossbar 116, between which a steering motor 118 and a take-up motor 120 are mounted. The steering motor 118 and the take-up motor may be connected to the electronics housing by wires, for example, via the struts 108. The upper surface of the housing 104 may include a turntable 121 driven by a motor within the housing 104 to rotate the base 114. Motors 118 and 120 include an internal battery power source. Mounting of the steering motor may also include passing through the pivot pin 110. The take-up motor 120 may drive a gear 122 and be mounted to the crossbar 116. When the gear 122 is driven, the gear 122 rotates a take-up spool 124 via a belt or chain (not shown in Figures 1A - 1C). The motor support frame 112 terminates in a distal cylindrical tip 126 having a central opening 128. Referring to Figure 1C, the opening 128 allows a robotic arm member to be wound onto the take-up spool 124 and fed out from the take-up spool 124 through the opening 128. The take-up spool 124 is spaced from the crossbar 116 and the tip 126 and allows a substantial amount of the robotic arm member 130, preferably the entire amount of the robotic arm member required for the fully inverted and retracted state of the robot, to be stored on the take-up spool 124.The space of the take-up spool generally depends on the maximum radius of the member being drawn in, which is a function of storage efficiency, spool diameter, and the thickness of the tubular body.

[0018] Figures 2A - 2G show preferred methods for the extension and retraction of the tubular robot 102 around the obstacle 200. In Figures 2A - 2B, the SRM 100 extends the tip of the robot 102 by feeding out a new body member 130 in a state where the internal pressure from the pressure source 202 is low, i.e., so low that it is insufficient to cause extension / eversion by itself. Further extension in Figure 2C occurs by increasing the pressure, which moves the SRM 102 forward to the desired position, with the internal body pressure of the robot increased such that the friction between the SRM 102 and the robot body member 130 is overcome, and the take-up motor 120 holds the take-up spool in the stationary position, whereby the everted body can pull the SRM towards the tip of the robot. In Figure 2D, next, the steering motor 120 activates and bends the SRM 100 by pivoting the motor support frame 112 about the pivot pin 110 with respect to the base frame 106 to maneuver around the obstacle 200. The SRM 100 straightens in Figure 2E and then feeds out further members via the take-up motor 120 and / or extends by pressure. Figure 2F shows the SRM 100 making a second turn, and Figure 2G shows the reverse series of operations, i.e., the SRM 100 straightening and / or pivoting as needed and retracting by being wound up again.

[0019] The SRM100 is designed to fit inside the vine-like robot body, and its outer diameter has a sufficient radial clearance to allow for easy sliding and for air to inflate the entire vine-like robot 102. In an exemplary embodiment, the steering motor 118 controls up to 120° in both directions about the pivot pin 110 from a reference, straight state. This enables point deflection at any position along the robot 102, creating two pieces of any arbitrary length, provided that the overall body length constraint is met.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows a vine-like robot 300 having a plurality of ARM or SRM devices 302 and 304. The lower device 304 can be the SRM according to FIGS. 1A and 1B, and some components are labeled with the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Further, a drive belt 306 is shown between the drive gear 122 and the take-up spool 124. Inside the upper device 302, the take-up spool 124 is replaced by a roller drive gear 324 that drives a pair of rollers 326 to retract (invert) or extend (evert) the robot body member 130. The member passes through a modified housing 328 that has a through-channel for passing the body member to or from the second device 304. In other respects, the second device can include all other components of devices 304 and 100.

[0021] FIG. 4 shows a preferred ARM device 400 for a vine-like robot 402. A drive motor 404 with control and communication means includes a central channel 406 through which the robot body member 130 can be guided into and out of a storage volume 408 formed by a bag 410. This bag can be omitted if the robot 402 is a distal robot and an additional robot is proximal and the body member 130 is received in the manner shown for robots 302 and 304. The drive motor 404 drives a pair of rollers that sandwich the robot body member and retract (invert) or extend (evert) the robot 402.

[0022] FIG. 5 shows a robotic arm 500 having a camera 502 and an ARM device 400 according to FIG. 4. The camera 502 can be a standard wireless camera and is mounted through a donut-shaped pedestal 504 having a central opening for a narrow portion of the camera housing 506. The distal and proximal portions of the housing 506 are too large to pass through the pedestal 504, whereby the camera 502 can move with the tip of the robot 500.

[0023] Experiments and Simulations

[0024] Length Limitations

[0025] SRM and ARM robotic arms provide advantages in terms of length compared to conventional robotic arms. The length of a robotic arm is limited by the length of the body member on the spool and internal friction. A robot that stores the body member on a reel at the base of the robot pulls and extends a new member through the body of the robot. In linear growth, although the friction is relatively low, the friction increases exponentially with the increase in the total curvature. This friction is known as the capstan friction F int and is represented by the following equation (1).

[0026]

Equation

[0027] Here, C is the configuration tension, μ c is the friction coefficient in curved growth, θ i is the angle of the i-th bend. Due to its exponential nature, this friction is very restrictive in a tortuous path. SRM and ARM avoid this limitation by winding up the body member at the tip, and thus are instead constrained by the amount of member that can be stored on the SRM or stored by the ARM for a given robot diameter.

[0028] In the case of the ARM, this is restricted by the size of the container and the creases of the members inside it. In the case of the SRM, to understand this volume limitation, the coiled tail is modeled as a simple Archimedes' spiral with a constant radius expansion rate and represented by the following equation (2).

[0029] [Number]

[0030] Here, r is the distance from the center of the spiral to its outermost edge, α is the total swept angle of the spiral, which is a constant such that 2πa is the distance between two layers of the spiral (i.e., the thickness of the folded tail member), and b is the spiral offset (i.e., the radius of the winding crossbar). To understand the limitation of the length L of the robot, the arc length of the spiral is solved as follows in equation (3) with respect to r, the parameters a and b, represented by α(r).

[0031] [Number]

[0032] Using the substitution u = r - b, this integral is solved for the maximum length L of the robot max as shown in the following equation (4).

[0033] [Number]

[0034] Here, r maxis the radius of the robot body. In our robot, b is much smaller than αa, which means that the second term in Equation (2) can be ignored. Equation (4) shows that L increases with the square of r, resulting in a non-linear increase in length for each unit increase in diameter. Similarly, the same formulation given in Equation (4) can be applied to α so that the length of the robot can be controlled in a closed loop by the retraction motor encoder.

[0035] Retraction, manipulation, and movement of the SRM

[0036] Force for retraction: Conventionally, analysis has shown that the force required to invert the vine-like robot is equal to half of the force generated by pressurization plus a zero-pressure offset term (a member-dependent constant representing the force required to invert or evert the member without depending on pressure). M.M. Coad, R.P. Thomasson, L.H. Blumenschein, N.S. Usevitch, E.W. Hawkes, and A.M. Okamura, “Retraction of soft growing robots without buckling”, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol.5, no.2, pp.2115-2122, 2020. The vine-like robot of the present disclosure includes an SRM or ARM having mass, and the following Equation (5) takes into account the friction between the robot body and the SRM.

[0037]

Equation

[0038] Here, P is the internal pressure, A is the cross-sectional area, F I is a member-dependent constant, F fricis the friction between the SRM and the robot body. Depending on the retraction conditions (the SRM may not be retracted from the tip and may not be moving relative to the robot body), the fact that there may or may not be friction makes Equation (5) an inequality.

[0039] Using Equations (2) and (4) to determine the maximum radius r of the spool for a given robot length max Equation (5) can predict the theoretical maximum torque τ required to retract the robot that occurs when the spool is the largest and the SRM or ARM is at the tip. Assuming orthogonality at the winding position, the following Equation (6) holds. R Assuming orthogonality at the winding position, the following Equation (6) holds.

[0040]

Equation

[0041] where P max is the maximum pressure commanded to the robot. This model is useful for determining the size of the winding motor.

[0042] Joint limitation: In the case of bending of the body, the internal restoring moment M generated by the inflatable beam under lateral load int is represented by the following Equation (7).

[0043]

Equation

[0044] where P is the internal pressure and r is the beam radius. The torque requirement of the bending motor is represented by the following Equation (8).

[0045]

Equation

[0046] where τB is the minimum bending motor torque in the case of the maximum operating pressure P max Equation (7) shows that the internal moment is nominally independent of deflection. This means that as long as the motor torque exceeds the minimum specification given by Equation (8), the joint can achieve any bending angle allowed by the shape of the SRM.

[0047] Movement of the SRM: When the SRM is moving rather than stationary, the balance of three main forces determines whether the SRM moves: the tension PA / 2 on the tail, the varus / valgus force F I and the frictional force F between the SRM and the inside of the body fric . Although friction can be reduced by coatings such as anti - adhesion coatings on the robotic body, such coatings are application - dependent. The environment in which the robot operates may not be suitable for contact with such coatings. The frictional force F fric can vary depending on the configuration of the SRM, and a straight SRM has a lower frictional force than a bent SRM. There are two general ways in which these forces are related, represented by Equation (9) below.

[0048]

Equation

[0049] In the first case, the pressure is relatively high, the body turns outwards, thereby pulling the SRM. In the second case, the pressure is relatively low, and the SRM can hold still and pull the body in when the tail is retracted. There is a third, less common case of medium pressure, where PA / 2 is within ±F fric of F I . In this case, when the motor is reversed, the SRM moves forward, but the body is not retracted.

[0050] Example of an experimental SRM - based robotic vine

[0051] An arbitrary length was set to 2.5 m. From this, using Equation (4), it was determined that a maximum spool diameter of 42 mm is required to hold this amount of member. This recognizes that since the semi-perimeter width in the "lay flat" state is wider than the diameter, the member at the tail needs to bend at least once to fit inside the robot. As a result, including the dimensions of the drive train and SRM frame, it was found that the minimum robot diameter is 68 mm. Thereby, using Equation (6), the value of F fric reported in the V-joint was used to calculate that the required take-up motor torque is 0.30 Nm. Next, using Equation (8), the required steering motor torque was calculated to be 0.84 Nm.

[0052] More generally, explain how these parameters increase. First, note from Equation (4) that the maximum length achievable by the robot is known to increase with the square of the spool radius. Since the spool must fit inside the robot, this also means that the length increases with the square of the robot radius. Next, note that the motor torque required to retract the robot body increases with the cube of the radius (Equation (6)), and the motor torque required to maneuver the body also increases with the cube of the radius (Equation (8)). Since the motor torque increases proportionally to the volume (~r 3 ), these three laws of increase suggest that larger robots can grow proportionally longer, and the relative size of the required internal motors remains the same regardless of scale.

[0053] The epidermis consisted of a tube of silicone-urethane impregnated ripstop nylon fiber structure (Rockywoods Fabric) with a diameter of 75 mm, a length of 2.5 m, and a thickness of 71 μm. This tube was made from strips of the fiber structure using a butt joint and adhered with a room temperature vulcanizing silicone adhesive (Smoothon Silpoxy). The SRM with a diameter of 70 mm was made from two 3D printed Markforged Oynx (chopped carbon fiber impregnated nylon filament) frames connected by a drive hinge joint. The distal segment with a length of 150 mm housed a reel of the robotic epidermis in the form of a vine up to 3 m long and a bending mechanism, while the proximal segment with a length of 80 mm housed a battery and a wireless transmitter, and when assembled, the overall length of the SRM was 215 mm. The vine member reel was a 3 mm diameter steel rod attached to the frame perpendicular to the length of the robot body. Based on the required torque, an XYZrobot Smart Servo a1-16 motor with a rated torque of 2.5 Nm was selected, and its output drives the reel via a small steel chain. The joints of the robot are rotated by a second, in-line XYZrobot Smart Servo a1-16 motor with the same rated torque of 2.5 Nm, and the joints can achieve a maximum rotation of 120° in the positive right hand direction and a maximum rotation of 105° in the negative right hand direction (this difference is due to the shape constraints imposed by the actuator structure). The motors are powered by three 500 mAh, 3.7 V lithium polymer batteries and controlled by an Adafruit Feather M0 interfaced via 915 MHz wireless. When fully assembled, the SRM has a mass of 337.5 g.

[0054] FIG. 6 compares the pressures required to grow through a tortuous path for a standard vine-like robot having only base winding and an experimental SRM vine-like robot. As is common in conventional vine-like robots, when the body member is wound at the base, the pressure for growth increases with the path angle. In contrast, in the case of the robot of the present disclosure in which the body member is wound within the SRM, the pressure for growth remains substantially constant when the SRM is near the tip.

[0055] Such operation provides advantages. For example, an SRM robot can more preferably penetrate hard-to-access ruins, the interior of an aircraft, or a nuclear facility if it does not encounter a gap with a diameter smaller than that of the SRM for a long time. The reduction of internal friction by tip winding can enable the SRM and ARM vine-like robots of the present disclosure to access more tortuous and vulnerable paths such as the small intestine, machinery, or animal burrows.

[0056] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it should be understood that other modifications, substitutions, and alternatives will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications, substitutions, and alternatives can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as determined from the appended claims.

[0057] Various features of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims.

[0058] (Appendix) (Appendix 1) A body configured as a tube, defining an inverted pressure channel inside itself, and when the channel is pressurized, the body everts, the inverted member of the body everts, and exits out from the tip at the distal end of the body, the body; A take-up mechanism controlled by a take-up motor, the take-up mechanism being inside the tube, configured to actively feed the everted member, provide or assist in eversion, and actively retract the extended member of the body. The take-up mechanism Control and communication electronics for controlling the take-up motor, Comprising Soft vine-shaped robot.

[0059] (Appendix 2) The take-up mechanism comprises a storage part configured to store the everted member. The soft vine-shaped robot according to Appendix 1.

[0060] (Appendix 3) Comprising a controlled pressure source for pressurizing the pressure channel. The soft vine-shaped robot according to Appendix 1 or 2.

[0061] (Appendix 4) The take-up mechanism comprises a cylindrical proximal housing for the control and communication electronics. The soft vine-shaped robot according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3.

[0062] (Appendix 5) The take-up mechanism comprises a set of rollers driven by the take-up motor, the rollers being engaged with the everted body passing between the rollers. The soft vine-shaped robot according to Appendix 4.

[0063] (Appendix 6) The distal end of the take-up mechanism is provided with a central opening for receiving the everted body into the rollers. The soft vine-shaped robot according to Appendix 5.

[0064] (Appendix 7) The take-up mechanism comprises a steering mechanism having a bending axis controlled by a steering motor. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to any one of Appendices 1 to 6.

[0065] (Appendix 8) The winding mechanism includes a proximal base frame extending from the cylindrical proximal electronic device housing. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to Appendix 7.

[0066] (Appendix 9) The winding mechanism includes a distal motor support frame pivotally connected to the proximal base frame via a shaft pin, and the steering motor and the winding motor are attached to the base frame. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to Appendix 8.

[0067] (Appendix 10) The distal motor support frame includes a winding spool driven by the winding motor, and the inverted body winds around the winding spool. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to Appendix 9.

[0068] (Appendix 11) A space for accommodating the body is provided around the winding spool when the body is completely inverted and stored on the winding spool. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to Appendix 10.

[0069] (Appendix 12) A distal cylindrical tip is provided at the end of the distal motor support frame, and the distal cylindrical tip includes a central opening for receiving the inverted member on the winding spool. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to any one of Appendices 9 to 11.

[0070] (Appendix 13) Comprising a plurality of steering and / or winding mechanisms. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to any one of Appendices 1 to 12.

[0071] (Appendix 14) A camera is provided at the distal tip of the robot. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to any one of Appendices 1 to 13.

[0072] (Appendix 15) A method for controlling eversion and inversion of a flexible tube-shaped robot, comprising: pressurizing a channel of a body configured as a tube and turned inside out within itself; actively supplying an eversion force or an inversion force to the body via a roller or a spool driven by a winding motor housed inside the channel; balancing the channel pressure and the eversion force or the inversion force by a pressure control device and the winding motor. including A method for controlling eversion and inversion of a flexible tube-shaped robot.

[0073] (Appendix 16) The method according to Appendix 15, further comprising bending a pivot structure inside the body by a steering motor inside the body to steer the body. The method according to Appendix 15.

[0074] (Appendix 17) The method according to Appendix 15 or 16, including extending a tip of the body by everting the body by a force supplied by the roller or the spool under low pressure, i.e., a pressure insufficient to cause elongation / eversion by itself. The method according to Appendix 15 or 16.

Claims

1. A body configured as a tube, defining an inverted pressure channel inside itself, such that when the pressure channel is pressurized, the body everts, the inverted member of the body everts, and exits outwards from the tip at the distal end of the body; the body, A winding mechanism controlled by a winding motor, the winding mechanism being inside the tube and being movable together with the inverted member as the body everts or inverts, actively feeding the inverted member, providing or assisting eversion, and actively retracting the extended member of the body, providing or assisting inversion; the winding mechanism, Control and communication electronics for controlling the winding motor, Comprising, A flexible vine-shaped robot.

2. A body configured as a tube, defining an inverted pressure channel inside itself, such that when the pressure channel is pressurized, the body everts, the inverted member of the body everts, and exits outwards from the tip at the distal end of the body; the body, A winding mechanism controlled by a winding motor, the winding mechanism being inside the tube and configured to actively feed the inverted member, provide or assist eversion, and actively retract the extended member of the body; the winding mechanism, Control and communication electronics for controlling the winding motor, Comprising, The winding mechanism comprises a steering mechanism having a bending axis controlled by a steering motor. A flexible vine-shaped robot.

3. A body configured as a tube, defining an inverted pressure channel inside itself, such that when the pressure channel is pressurized, the body everts, the inverted member of the body everts, and exits outwards from the tip at the distal end of the body; the body, A winding mechanism controlled by a winding motor, the winding mechanism being inside the tube and configured to actively feed the inverted member, provide or assist eversion, and actively retract the extended member of the body; the winding mechanism, Control and communication electronics for controlling the winding motor, Comprising, A flexible tube-shaped robot comprising a plurality of steerings and / or a winding mechanism. Flexible tube-shaped robot. **Claim 4**: A main body configured as a tube, defining an inverted pressure channel inside itself, such that when the pressure channel is pressurized, the main body everts, the inverted member of the main body everts, and exits outwards from the tip at the distal end of the main body, the main body; A winding mechanism controlled by a winding motor, the winding mechanism being inside the tube, configured to actively feed the inverted member, provide or assist eversion, and actively retract the extended member of the main body; Control and communication electronics for controlling the winding motor; Comprising; The winding mechanism comprises a cylindrical proximal housing for the control and communication electronics. Flexible tube-shaped robot. **Claim 5**: The winding mechanism comprises a proximal base frame extending from the cylindrical proximal housing. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to claim 4. **Claim 6**: The winding mechanism comprises a cylindrical proximal housing for the control and communication electronics and a proximal base frame extending from the cylindrical proximal housing. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3. **Claim 7**: The winding mechanism comprises a distal motor support frame pivotally connected to the proximal base frame via a shaft pin, and the winding motor is attached to the proximal base frame. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to claim 5 or 6. **Claim 8**: The distal motor support frame comprises a winding spool driven by the winding motor, and the inverted main body is wound around the winding spool. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to claim 7. **Claim 9**: A space for accommodating the main body when the main body is completely inverted and stored on the winding spool is provided around the winding spool. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to claim 8. **Claim 10**: A distal cylindrical tip is provided at the end of the distal motor support frame, and the distal cylindrical tip comprises a central opening for receiving the inverted member onto the winding spool. The flexible tube-shaped robot according to claim 8 or 9. **Claim 11**: The take-up mechanism includes a pair of rollers driven by the take-up motor, and the rollers are engaged with the inverted body passing between the rollers. The soft tubular robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

12. The take-up mechanism has a central opening at its distal end for receiving the inverted body into the rollers. The soft tubular robot according to claim 11.

13. The robot is provided with a camera at its distal tip. The soft tubular robot according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The take-up mechanism includes a storage portion configured to store the inverted member. The soft tubular robot according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. It includes a controlled pressure source for pressurizing the pressure channel. The soft tubular robot according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A method for controlling the eversion and inversion of a soft tubular robot, comprising: a step of pressurizing a channel of an inverted body within its own interior of a body configured as a tube; a step of actively supplying an eversion force or an inversion force to the body via a roller or a spool driven by a take-up motor housed inside the channel, wherein the take-up motor is inside the tube and is movable together with the tube during eversion or inversion; a step of balancing the channel pressure and the eversion force or the inversion force by a pressure control device and the take-up motor; and including.

17. A method for controlling the eversion and inversion of a soft tubular robot, comprising: a step of pressurizing a channel of an inverted body within its own interior of a body configured as a tube; a step of actively supplying an eversion force or an inversion force to the body via a roller or a spool driven by a take-up motor housed inside the channel; a step of balancing the channel pressure and the eversion force or the inversion force by a pressure control device and the take-up motor; a step of maneuvering the body around a pivot structure inside the body by a steering motor inside the body; and including.

18. A method for controlling the eversion and inversion of a soft tubular robot, comprising: a step of pressurizing a channel of an inverted body within its own interior of a body configured as a tube; Actively supplying an outward turning force or an inward turning force to the main body through a roller or a spool driven by a winding motor housed inside the channel; Balancing the channel pressure and the outward turning force or the inward turning force by means of a pressure control device and the winding motor; Extending the tip of the main body by turning the main body outward by the force supplied by the roller or the spool under low pressure, i.e., a pressure insufficient to cause elongation / outward turning by itself; comprising; A method for controlling the outward turning and inward turning of a flexible tubular robot.

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