Study on peristaltic crawling robot using artificial muscle actuator

The field of bio-engineering with the aim of developing new machines, which utilizes the motion and control of organisms as well as a model, is attracting attention. This technology is pursued by focusing on to various shapes and movements of organisms and autonomous systems of organisms acting in response to the environment surrounding them, and by mechanically elucidating the locomotion mechanism, nerve system and sensation system of these organisms. We examined the peristaltic crawling of an earthworm as a transport function in place of wheels or ambulation, and have developed a robot running inside a tube. In this robot, a cell corresponding to the earthworm's segment is composed of a new artificial muscle actuator that we have developed. This paper presents the experimental result of the peristaltic crawling of an actual earthworm and the evaluation result of the transport mechanism of a prototype robot.