Out-Pipe Climbing Soft Robot with Omnidirectional Actuator

In this paper, design and testing of a novel pneumatic out-pipe climbing soft robot is presented. Made with silicone, the soft robot weighs about 200 g. Based on an omnidirectional bending actuator, a new motion mode is developed which enables the soft robot to climb vertical pipes with diameters between 110 mm and 160 mm. Static tests and dynamic tests are conducted on two different actuators to compare the effects of material properties on the performance of the soft robots. Experiments show that the out-pipe climbing soft robot is able to carry a payload of 500 g on a 110mm-diameter vertical pipe. With a PWM control strategy, the robot can achieve a vertical climbing speed of 8.3 mm/s.