Earthworms have an effective way to tunnel through soil. Robots based on earthworms could one day help us explore other worlds.
An earthworm segment with all the parts labelled. Image Credit: By KDS444 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33297054
This figure from the paper shows the peristaltic soft actuator. The prototype robot has five of them. Image Credit: DasThe Bioinspired Soft Robotics lab at the ITT created the ‘worm-bot,’ and it’s all part of the lab’s effort to “… develop robotic solutions capable of working in unstructured environments,” according to the lab’s website. “These robots will be able to interact with living beings safely and substitute humans in challenging conditions.
“The potential applications for this technology are vast, including underground exploration, excavation, search and rescue operations in subterranean environments and the exploration of other planets.”An Earthworm’s body segments are called metameres, and they contain fluid that controls their internal pressure. The pressure exerts forces on the metamere allowing the earthworm to perform “independent, localized and variable movement patterns,” according to a press release.
The team tested their robot with and without small passive friction pads that mimic an earthworm’s setae. On a simple flat surface, the setae helped the robot move much more efficiently.The worm-bot is just a prototype, and it allows the team to understand biological locomotion in more detail. They’re optimistic about the future of this type of bio-inspired locomotion.
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