A C. elegans-inspired micro-robot with polymeric actuators and online vision

The 1mm long nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is one of the best characterized animals and an important biological model for studies of nervous system function and behavior. C. elegans locomotion is generated by the rhythmic contraction of muscles under the control and regulation of the animal's nervous system. The final goal of this research is to build a robotic model mimicking this undulatory locomotion. Towards this end, a first prototype invertebrate wormbot using electroactive polymer is presented in this paper. The 25mm wormbot is made of a single ionic polymer-metal composite consisting of five segments that are controlled individually and can propagate a sinusoidal wave along the robot body similar to the movement of C. elegans. Solutions to the technical challenges of miniaturization, IPMC segmentation and small scale electrical wiring are also described. Finally, a digital image processing technique was developed for online sensory feedback. The system operates in real time and includes robust image noise removal.