Development of Active Mechanical Models for Flexible Robots to Duplicate the Motion of Inch Worms and Snakes

Due to the advent of pneumatic actuators, tendon-actuation mechanisms, and artificial muscles, an increasing number of robot engineers are developing flexible and soft robots. The emergence of soft and flexible robotics has offered new methods of locomotion that have applications in a wide variety of sectors. The research presented here focuses on developing mechanical models for such flexible robots. Two models are developed that will aid the modeling of soft robotics: (i) a discrete multi-body model consisting of jointed cylindrical segments and (ii) a thorough continuous beam model with internal actuation. The mechanical models serve as indicators of the necessary internal actuation for soft robots to reproduce or mimic the observed or necessary motion.