Instantaneous Force Generation Mechanism Based on the Striking Motion of Mantis Shrimp-Analytical and Experimental Verification of the Increase in Instantaneous Force Using Exoskeleton Spring Mechanism

We developed a robot generating instantaneous force inspired by the smashing mantis shrimp, and conducted dynamic analysis using the mechanistic model. We compared the performance with and without the elastic elements of the exoskeleton to examine the contribution of each spring element. Previously, we confirmed the operation of the proposed mechanism of the shrimp-inspired-system. Because the effectiveness of the mechanism has not fully been examined as an integrated system of elastic components, here we further performed the rigorous numerical simulation using the model otherwise understanding would be limited in the physical robot. From the numerical results, it was confirmed that the proposed mechanism including the spring shortened the time to strike by 0.737 times and increased the impulse at the time of strike by 1.702 times compared with the mechanism using only pneumatic artificial muscles. The results of the simulations demonstrated the interaction between the pneumatic artificial muscles and the elastic elements of the exoskeleton. Our findings can give an insight into the integrative design of the artificial muscles and elastic mechanisms by capitalizing on a design evolved in nature.