A team of engineers at the University of Glasgow has developed a super-elastic worm-like robot whose locomotion is inspired by inchworms and earthworms. These soft, wriggling robots can stretch up to nine times their own length and possess a form of proprioception, much like worms perceive their spatial location. This ability allows the worm-like robots to squeeze into confined spaces inaccessible to traditional rigid robots.
Building on previous research by the University of Glasgow's BEST (Flexible Electronics and Sensing) group, this study placed strain sensors in a worm-like robot about 4.5 centimeters long and covered it with "skin" made of a flexible plastic called Ecoflex and a graphite paste developed by the team.
Tiny permanent magnets attached to both ends of the robot's tubular body help it move across metal surfaces. Sensors on its skin help it "sense" body-related movements by measuring the resistance of a graphite paste that changes as the robot's body expands. When the resistance reaches a preset maximum value, the body contracts again, moving forward.
Professor Ravinder Dahiya of the University of Glasgow stated that proprioception is an important characteristic of many organisms. By seamlessly embedding sensors, these soft robots' ability to adapt to their surroundings allows them to work efficiently in more challenging environments.
Scientists say this highly flexible, worm-like robot, capable of "sensing" its surroundings, could be applied in industry and prosthetics to develop more realistic prostheses or to give robots the ability to surround and lift irregularly shaped heavy objects. Researchers also hope for breakthroughs that would allow this soft robot to be used in mining, construction, and even disaster relief, searching for survivors trapped in rubble.
