A robotic crawler exploiting directional frictional interactions: experiments, numerics, and derivation of a reduced model
arXiv:1408.6470 · doi:10.1098/rspa.2014.0333
Abstract
We present experimental and numerical results for a model crawler which is able to extract net positional changes from reciprocal shape changes, i.e. 'breathing-like' deformations, thanks to directional, frictional interactions with a textured solid substrate, mediated by flexible inclined feet. We also present a simple reduced model that captures the essential features of the kinematics and energetics of the gait, and compare its predictions with the results from experiments and from numerical simulations.