Arthrobots
September 1, 2017
Scientific Achievement
The excellent strength-to-weight ratio of polypropylene tubing enables construction of exoskeletons inspired by spiders, ants, and water striders.
A six-legged arthrobot on water
Significance and Impact
Inspired by nature, arthrobots combine mechanical compliance, lightweight and simple construction, and inexpensive yet scalable design.
Research Details
- Constructed using polypropylene tubing (drinking straws) and elastomeric tubing.
- Designed to be nimble, an Arduino microcontroller and valves control gait.
- Arthrobots are “cooperative” systems that are well-suited for safe robot-human interaction.
Arthrobots
Nemiroski, A., Shevchenko, Y.Y., Stokes, A.A., Unal, B., Ainla, A., Albert, S., Compton, G., MacDonald, E., Schwab, Y., Zellhofer, C., Whitesides, G.M.
Soft Robotics 4, 2017, 183-190.
Work Performed at Harvard University