Locomotion of Amorphous Surface Robots

Bradley, Arthur T [Inventor]

关键词: AMORPHOUS MATERIALS;    AUTOMATIC CONTROL VALVES;    ELECTROMECHANICAL DEVICES;    ENCAPSULATING;    EXPULSION BLADDERS;    FERROFLUIDS;    FLUID FLOW;    ROBOTS;    SURFACE REACTIONS;    WORKING FLUIDS;    PATENTS;    COMPARTMENTS;    CONTROL EQUIPMENT;    DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS;    EXPANDABLE STRUCTURES;    FLOW VISUALIZATION;    LOCOMOTION;   

RP-ID  :  US-Patent-9,902,446, US-Patent-Appl-SN-14/986,797

美国|英语

来源: NASA Technical Reports Server

【 摘 要 】

An amorphous robot includes a compartmented bladder containing fluid, a valve assembly, and an outer layer encapsulating the bladder and valve assembly. The valve assembly draws fluid from a compartment(s) and discharges the drawn fluid into a designated compartment to displace the designated compartment with respect to the surface. Another embodiment includes elements each having a variable property, an outer layer that encapsulates the elements, and a control unit. The control unit energizes a designated element to change its variable property, thereby moving the designated element. The elements may be electromagnetic spheres with a variable polarity or shape memory polymers with changing shape and/or size. Yet another embodiment includes an elongated flexible tube filled with ferrofluid, a moveable electromagnet, an actuator, and a control unit. The control unit energizes the electromagnet and moves the electromagnet via the actuator to magnetize the ferrofluid and lengthen the flexible tube.