Mobile Robot Based on Multipole Magnetoactive Elastomer for Controllable Planar Locomotion

The planar motion behavior of the mobile robot utilizing two multipole magnetized functional elements is studied experimentally. The beam-shaped functional elements are synthesized from a special magnetoactive elastomer (MAE), filled with both hard and soft magnetic particles of micrometer size, and feature bristle pads protruding on their underside. The robot locomotion is controlled by the actuation of two cylindrical coils, which generate alternating magnetic fields causing the functional beams to vibrate. The field-induced bending vibrations of the beams lead to the robot movement across a plane due to the cyclic interplay of inertial and friction forces. The motion capture analysis reveals that the coil actuation frequencies control the robot velocity and the movement direction, showing the skid-steer behavior. The pronounced resonant dependency of the velocity is observed, when the robot is driven at equal actuation frequencies. The frequency combinations required to perform straight-line movement are identified. The research highlights the potential of MAEs to design advanced actuators and soft robotics applications with simple actuation.