Serpentine Synergy: Design and Fabrication of a Dual Soft Continuum Manipulator and Soft Snake Robot
Rajashekhar V S, Aravinth Rajesh, Muhammad Imam Anugrahadi Athaaillah, Gowdham Prabhakar
TL;DR
This paper addresses the need for a single soft robotic platform capable of both manipulation and locomotion in confined debris environments, as encountered in post‑earthquake SAR operations. It engineers a dual soft continuum robot using lightweight expanded polyethylene foam (EPE) modules actuated by a cable‑driven, differential drive system, enabling SCM and SSR modes with minimal hardware. The authors develop a comprehensive design workflow, including computer‑aided design, optimal module geometry via geometric programming and Grey Relational Analysis, and kinematic/workspace analyses, followed by fabrication and experimental validation of bending, straight motion, turning, and obstacle traversal. The results demonstrate a broad SCM workspace ($\approx$ $400\times 400\times 300$ mm) and a medium‑range SSR performance (speed $\approx 0.37$ m/s; slope climbing $\approx 66^{\circ}$), highlighting a safe, modular platform with potential for rapid deployment and future sensor integration.
Abstract
This work presents a soft continuum robot (SCR) that can be used as a soft continuum manipulator (SCM) and a soft snake robot (SSR). This is achieved using expanded polyethylene foam (EPE) modules as the soft material. In situations like post-earthquake search operations, these dual-purpose robots could play a vital role. The soft continuum manipulator with a camera attached to the tip can manually search for survivors in the debris. On the other hand, the soft snake robot can be made by attaching an active wheel to the soft continuum manipulator. This mobile robot can reach places humans cannot and gather information about survivors. This work presents the design, fabrication, and experimental validation of the dual soft continuum robot.