title: Shape memory alloy-based small crawling robots inspired by C. elegans.
abstract: Inspired by its simple musculature, actuation and motion mechanisms, we have developed a small crawling robot that closely mimics the model organism of our choice: Caenorhabditis elegans. A thermal shape memory alloy (SMA) was selected as an actuator due to the similarities of its properties to C. elegans muscles. Based on the anatomy of C. elegans, a 12-unit robot was designed to generate a sinusoidal undulating motion. Each body unit consisting of a pair of SMA actuators is serially connected by rigid links with an embedded motion control circuit. A simple binary operation-based motion control mechanism was implemented using a microcontroller. The assembled robot can execute C. elegans-like motion with a 0.17 Hz undulation frequency. Its motion is comparable to that of a real worm.
authors: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Korea.
authors: Hyunwoo
authors: H
authors: Yuk
authors: Daeyeon
authors: D
authors: Kim
authors: Honggu
authors: H
authors: Lee
authors: Sungho
authors: S
authors: Jo
authors: Jennifer H
authors: JH
authors: Shin
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D040761:Biomimetic Materials; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys