Highly Dynamic Bistable Soft Actuator for Reconfigurable Multimodal Soft Robots

Matching the rich multimodality of natural organisms, i.e., ability to transition between crawling and swimming, walking jumping, etc., represents a grand challenge in fields soft bio-inspired robotics. Here, multimodal robot locomotion using highly compact dynamic bistable actuators is achieved. These are composed prestretched membrane sandwiched two 3D printed frames with embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) coils. The actuator can swiftly transform oppositely curved states generate force 0.3 N through snap-through instability that triggered after 0.2 s electrical activation an input power 21.1 ± 0.32 W (i.e., energy 4.22 0.06 J. consistency robustness response experimentally validated cyclical testing (580 cycles). fast-responding properties allow it be used as artificial muscle for shape-reconfigurable robots capable multiple modes SMA-powered locomotion. This demonstrated by creating three robots, including reconfigurable amphibious walk on land swim water, jumping (multimodal crawler) crawl jump, caterpillar-inspired rolling roll.