Multifunctional soft robot including a snap-through joint

This technology is a multifunctional soft robot mechanism that changes and maintains its geometric shape using only a single pneumatic control by combining four pneumatically driven modules with two joint sections that perform snap-through behavior.

Existing pneumatic network soft robots have limitations, as they require continuous pneumatic supply to maintain their shape and complex inputs, which increases the overall volume and weight of the device.

This technology introduces a snap-joint section with a bistable shell structure, proposing a method to fix the physical shape through snap-through and snap-back behaviors triggered by critical pressure. This enables the implementation of a soft robot capable of dynamic mode switching, such as aligning the four drive modules in a row or deploying them horizontally depending on the control mode. Since various movement modes can be switched with just a single pneumatic input, it offers excellent competitiveness in environments requiring multifunctionality with limited resources, such as exploration robots and disaster response robots.

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Key Features:

• Four drive modules connected in series, each featuring an internal space that can expand or contract longitudinally via pneumatic pressure
• Four guide hinges that rotatably connect the joints between adjacent drive modules
• Two snap-joint sections installed between two alternately spaced connection parts, capable of snap-through behavior via pneumatic pressure
• A control unit that changes and maintains the shape by regulating the pneumatic pressure applied to the four drive modules