Long-range snake-like robot powered by pneumatic McKibben muscles

Abstract

Contemporary research on mobile robotics aims at designing robots that will be able to traverse an extremely varied environment. One of the most universal modes of locomotion is the serpentine movement. A majority of modern snake-like robots use electric drives. This study presents a snake-like robot made out of McKibben muscles. Using a pneumatic cable with muscles arranged in series, it is possible to create a robot of any length, limited only by the length of the muscle cables. Because the control system and the body of the robot are separate, the robot can be used for rescue missions involving high risk of explosion of flammable substances and for missions taking place on extremely difficult terrain.

Keywords

• snake-like robot
• mckibben muscles
• pneumatic drive