Manufacturing, control, and performance evaluation of a Gecko-inspired soft robot

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This protocol presents a method for manufacturing, control, and evaluation of the performance of a soft robot that can climb inclined flat surfaces with slopes of up to 84°. The manufacturing method is valid for the fast pneunet bending actuators in general and might, therefore, be interesting for newcomers to the field of actuator manufacturing. The control of the robot is achieved by means of a pneumatic control box that can provide arbitrary pressures and can be built by only using purchased components, a laser cutter, and a soldering iron. For the walking performance of the robot, the pressure-angle calibration plays a crucial role. Therefore, a semi-automated method for the pressure-angle calibration is presented. At high inclines (> 70°), the robot can no longer reliably fix itself to the walking plane. Therefore, the gait pattern is modified to ensure that the feet can be fixed on the walking plane.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere61422
JournalJournal of Visualized Experiments
Volume2020
Issue number160
Pages (from-to)1-15
Number of pages15
ISSN1940-087X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10.06.2020
Externally publishedYes

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