Robotic Barrier Construction through Weaved, Inflatable Tubes

In this article, we present a mechanism and related path planning algorithm to construct light-duty barriers out of extruded, inflated tubes weaved around existing environmental features. Our extruded tubes are based on everted vine-robots and in this context, we present a new method to steer their growth. We characterize the mechanism in terms of accuracy resilience, and, towards their use as barriers, the ability of the tubes to withstand distributed loads. We further explore an algorithm which, given a feature map and the size and direction of the external load, can determine where and how to extrude the barrier. Finally, we showcase the potential of this method in an autonomously extruded two-layer wall weaved around three pipes. While preliminary, our work indicates that this method has potential for barrier construction in cluttered environments, e.g. shelters against wind or snow. Future work may show how to achieve tighter weaves, how to leverage weave friction for improved strength, how to assess barrier performance for feedback control, and how to operate the extrusion mechanism off of a mobile robot.