Human-Centered Design and Control of Vine Robots for Disaster Scenarios
Abstract
This project will increase the efficacy of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief through robust and portable designs and advanced humanrobot interaction applied to a new class of soft continuum robots: Vine Robots. In contrast to traditional robots that move based on flight or repeated contacts with a surface (e.g., walking, running, and rolling), vine robots are soft robots that achieve movement through growth, on time scales much faster than their biological counterparts. As vine robots grow, they expand from the tip, allowing them use newly established “stem” as a base from which to traverse gaps, climb vertically, and grow to over 100 times their original length. Because they do not rely on contact with the environment to achieve movement, they can navigate over rough, slippery, sticky, and sharp terrain. Growth from the the tip of a robot also enables it to withstand being stepped on and extend through gaps a quarter of its height. Within its region of growth, a vine robot can provide not only sensing, but also a physical conduit, such as a water hose that grows to a fire or an oxygen tube that grows to a trapped disaster victim. Vine robots will also be able to protect trapped victims and infrastructure by gently wrapping themselves around unstable rubble, or grasping a gas valve to be pulled shut. Vine robots for these applications will require better robustness, portability, and payload delivery capabilities than previous systems. In addition, humanintheloop control is necessary in the uncertain and complex environments to be encountered. In this project, we will create new designs, models, and implementations to allow vine robots to effectively operate in the domain of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Novel teleoperation devices, situational awareness approaches, and training methods will facilitate effective use of these robots.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 28, 2017
- Source ID
- FA23861714658
Entities
People
- Allison M. Okamura
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Stanford University
- United States Air Force