New soft robots can be used to navigate and map unknown environments
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a soft robot that engages in three simultaneous behaviours: rolling forward, spinning and following a path that orbits around a central point.
The robots, coined as twisted ringbots, are made of ribbon-like liquid crystal elastomers that are twisted and then joined together at the end to form a loop.
When the robots are placed on a surface that is at least 55oC, the portion of the ribbon touching the surface contracts, while the portion of the ribbon exposed to the air does not. This induces a rolling motion; the warmer the surface, the faster the robot rolls.
The twisted ringbot also spins along its central axis, and as it moves forward it travels in an orbital path around a central point, essentially moving in a large circle. However, if the twisted ringbot encounters a boundary – like the wall of a box – it will travel along that boundary.
In a statement, Fangjie Qi, first author of the paper and a Ph.D. student at NC State, said: "Regardless of where the twisted ringbot is introduced to these spaces, it is able to make its way to a boundary and follow the boundary lines to map the space’s contours.
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