Inspired by nature's adaptability, researchers at CU Boulder have developed CLARI, short for Compliant Legged Articulated Robotic Insect, a versatile robot capable of altering its shape to navigate through narrow passages.
With potential applications in search and rescue missions, CLARI represents an exciting step towards more flexible and adaptable robotics.
CLARI: Petite and Lightweight Robot
CLARI, a petite and lightweight robot, possesses four legs that can be customized to create a wide range of robotic configurations. It can change its shape from a square to a longer, slender form, making it adept at squeezing through tight spaces.
While still in its early stages, CLARI's modular design allows engineers to experiment with different leg combinations, potentially leading to more complex and adaptable robots. The team envisions creating eight-legged, spider-style robots capable of traversing intricate environments.
Currently, CLARI relies on external wires for power and basic commands, limiting its autonomy. However, the researchers aim to develop fully independent versions that can explore challenging terrains, such as the interiors of jet engines or the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Kaushik Jayaram, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at CU Boulder and co-author of the study, emphasizes the need for robots with diverse shapes and sizes, akin to the variety found in the animal kingdom.
Jayaram's earlier work involved designing a robot that could compress its shape, mimicking cockroaches navigating tight spaces. CLARI, on the other hand, is engineered to adapt to horizontal gaps.
CLARI's basic form resembles a square with a leg along each of its four sides. Its flexibility lies in how it can change shape to accommodate different situations.
By altering its dimensions, CLARI can resemble a crab or elongate like a cockroach, making it a versatile tool for navigating complex environments. Its width can vary from 34 millimeters (1.3 inches) in the square configuration to 21 millimeters (0.8 inches) in the elongated form.
Unlike Jayaram's earlier cockroach-inspired robot, CLARI's legs function as independent entities, each equipped with its circuit board and dual actuators for precise movement. This modularity offers the potential for CLARI to assume a variety of shapes to suit specific tasks.
Shape-Changing Robots
The researchers envision a future where CLARI robots incorporate sensors to autonomously detect and react to obstacles.
Achieving the right balance between flexibility and strength presents an ongoing challenge, especially as more legs are added. The team aspires to develop shape-changing robots that can navigate complex natural environments.
These robots would need to adapt to various terrains and obstacles, such as trees, blades of grass, or rocks, mirroring the capabilities of insects like spiders and flies. With the addition of cameras and sensors, these robots could explore previously inaccessible spaces.
"What we want are general-purpose robots that can change shape and adapt to whatever the environmental conditions are," Jayaram said in a statement.
"In the animal world, that might be something like an amoeba, which has no well-defined shape but can change depending on whether it needs to move fast or engulf some food," Jayaram added.
The team's findings were recently published in the journal "Advanced Intelligent Systems.
