Snake-like robot operates on land and in water
The mechanism of a snakes propulsion is almost the same in water and on ground. With this in mind, the Hirose Fukushima Lab has developed the ACM-R5, an amphibious snake-like robot that undulates its long body to operate on ground and in water.
The ACM-R5 consists of a universal joint and bellows. This universal joint features a passive twist joint at the intersection point of two bending axis to prevent mechanical interface with the bellows.
To generate propulsive force by undulation, the robot needs a resistance property as it glides freely in tangential direction, but is unable to in normal direction. For this, paddles and passive wheels are located over around the body of the robot.
The control system of ACM-R5 is an advanced one. Each joint unit has a CPU, battery and motor, so they can operate independently. Through communication lines each unit exchanges signals and automatically recognises its number from the head, and how many joints join the system. This enables system operators to remove, add and exchange units freely and can operate the ACM-R5 flexibly according to the situation.
Read more on: bellows, control, robot, Robotics
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