Chapter 1: Bio-inspired robotics

There is a subclass of bio-inspired design that is known as bio-inspired robotic locomotion. It is about gaining knowledge from natural phenomena and putting that knowledge to use in the design of engineered systems that are used in the actual world. In a more particular sense, this discipline is concerned with the creation of robots that are modeled after biological systems, including biomimicry applications. "Biomimicry" refers to the process of reproducing natural phenomena, whereas "bio-inspired design" refers to the process of learning from nature and developing a mechanism that is both simpler and more efficient than the system that is observed in nature. A distinct subfield of robotics known as soft robotics has emerged as a result of the use of biomimicry. For particular purposes, the biological systems have been optimized in accordance with the environment in which they are found. Nevertheless, they are built to perform multiple functions and are not intended to be used for a single particular function. The study of biological systems and the search for processes that could potentially address a problem in the realm of engineering are the two main focuses of bio-inspired robotics researchers. After that, the designer ought to make an effort to simplify and improve that mechanism in order to better suit the particular task of interest. Researchers who are interested in bio-inspired robotics typically have an interest in biosensors (such as the eye), bioactuators (such as muscle), or biomaterials (such as spider silk). The vast majority of robots are equipped with some kind of locomotion system. The purpose of this article is to introduce various types of animal locomotion as well as a few instances of bio-inspired robots that correlate to these modes respectively.

Generally speaking, biolocomotion, often known as animal movement, can be classified as follows:

There are two types of movement that can occur on a surface: terrestrial locomotion and arboreal locomotion. In the following section, we will specifically talk about terrestrial movement and go into much more detail about it.

Swimming and soaring are examples of locomotion that can occur in a blood line or cell culture medium. Roboticists have invented and constructed a large number of robots that are capable of swimming and flying. While some of them make use of miniature motors or standard MEMS actuators (including piezoelectric, thermal, magnetic, and so on), others make use of animal muscle cells as motors.

Whether they have legs or not, there are a great number of animals and insects that move on land. Climbing and jumping are two of the topics that will be covered in this part, along with legged and limbless movement. It is essential to the process of mobility on land that the feet are anchored. In order to move without slipping on surfaces such as smooth rock faces and ice, it is essential to have the capacity to increase traction. This ability is especially vital when moving uphill. There are a variety of biological systems that are responsible for providing purchase. Claws rely on mechanisms that are based on friction, gecko feet rely on van der wall forces, and certain insect feet rely on fluid-mediated adhesive forces.

According to the requirements of the task at hand, legged robots can have one, two, four, six, or even more than one leg. utilizing legs rather than wheels allows for more efficient movement on uneven terrain, which is one of the most significant advantages of utilizing legs. Within the realm of bio-inspired robotics, the varieties of legged movement that are considered to be the most popular include bipedal, quadrupedal, and hexapedal locomotion. Both Cheetah and Rhex, a Reliable Hexapedal robot, are now the two robots that are capable of running the fastest. One other hexapedal robot that has been built at Stanford University is called iSprawl. Its design was influenced by the mobility strategy of cockroaches. The maximum speed that this robot is capable of reaching is 2.3 meters per second, and it can run up to 15 body lengths per second. A single electric motor is used for locomotion in the newer iteration of this robot, in contrast to the pneumatically propelled form of the robot that was first developed.

The majority of animals and biomimetic robots frequently face difficulties when confronted with terrain that features topography on a variety of length scales. The terrain is easily traversed by limbless species like snakes, which are able to move across it. Several different kinds of animals and insects, such as worms, snails, caterpillars, and snakes, are able to move around without using their limbs alone. Hirose et al. give an overview of robots that resemble snakes in their presentation. Robots with active treads, robots with passive wheels, and undulating robots that use vertical waves or linear expansions are the different types of robots that can be classified under this category. Wheels, which are used by the majority of snake-like robots, have a high level of friction when moving from side to side, but a low level of friction when rolling forward (and can be prevented from rolling toward the opposite direction). It is difficult for snake-like robots to climb vertically because the bulk of them use either rectilinear or lateral undulation as their mode of locomotion. More recently, Choset has constructed a modular robot that is capable of imitating a number of different snake gaits; nevertheless, it is unable to perform concertina motion. Scalybot is the name given to two robots that resemble snakes that were recently constructed by researchers at Georgia Tech. The role that snake ventral scales play in altering the frictional characteristics in different directions is the primary focus of these robots with regard to their design. These robots are able to exert active control over their scales, which allows them to adjust their frictional qualities and travel efficiently across a lot of different surfaces. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have produced snake-like robots that are both scaled and conventionally actuated.

Climbing is an exceptionally challenging activity since the climber's missteps can cause them to lose their hold and fall. This makes climbing an especially difficult endeavor. A single functionality that can be found in biological counterparts has been the basis for the majority of robots that have been constructed. Van der Waals forces, which are commonly utilized by geckobots, are only effective on surfaces that are smooth. With the help of geckos as a source of inspiration, researchers from Stanford University have successfully manufactured the sticky property that geckos possess. Millions of microfibers were positioned and fastened to a spring in a manner that was analogous to the seta found in the leg of a gecko. In normal conditions, the tip of the microfiber will be sharp and pointed; however, when the microfiber is activated, the movement of a spring will generate a stress that causes the microfibers to bend and increase the area of contact that they have with the surface of a wall or glass. Scientists working for NASA came up with gecko grippers, which incorporate the same technology but are used for a variety of different tasks in space. Using directed dry adhesives, Stickybots are most effective when applied to surfaces that are smooth. Among the insect-like robots that make use of spines instead of other parts, the Spinybot and RiSE robots are examples. There are a few restrictions that apply to legged climbing robots. Due to their lack of flexibility and the fact that they require a huge space in which to move, they are unable to overcome significant impediments. The majority of the time, they are unable to climb both smooth and rough surfaces, nor are they able to handle transitions from vertical to horizontal.

There are many different kinds of living beings, and one of the jobs that they frequently carry out is jumping. Among the creatures that are capable of jumping the highest are the hare, the kangaroo, the grasshopper, the locust, and the bharal. Using the locust as a source of inspiration, EPFL has developed a little 7g leaping robot that is capable of jumping up to 138 centimeters. The process of releasing the tension of a spring is what causes the jump event to occur. "TAUB" (Tel-Aviv University and Braude College of engineering) is the name of the miniature robot that has the highest leaping capability. It is inspired by the locust and weighs 23 grams. Its highest jump is three hundred and sixty centimeters. Torsion springs are utilized as a means of energy storage, and a wire and latch mechanism designed to compress and release the springs is incorporated into the design. It has been stated that ETH Zurich has developed a soft leaping robot that is powered by the combustion of laughing gas and methane. The volume of the chamber is significantly increased as a result of the thermal gas expansion that occurs within the soft combustion chamber. This results in the two kilogram robot leaping up to a height of twenty centimeters. The soft robot, which was modeled after a roly-poly toy, will then reposition itself into an upright position once it has succeeded in landing.

When swimming, it has been determined that certain fish are capable of achieving a propelling efficiency that is greater than 90 percent. In addition to this, they are able to accelerate and maneuver significantly better than any man-made boat or submarine, and they generate significantly less noise and disturbance in the water. In light of this, a great number of researchers that are working on underwater robots would like to replicate this mode of mobility. In order to evaluate and quantitatively simulate thunniform motion, notable examples include the...