Locomotion Analysis of a Multi-Segment Origami-Enabled Robot

Abstract Origami-enabled robots are scalable, compliant, and easy-to-fabricate soft robots. In this study, we investigate the locomotion of an origami-enabled multi-segment robot. Such robots offer energetic advantages and enable complex missions by combining several simple robotic segments. This paper evaluates the effect of actuation frequency and substrate friction on the straight-line locomotion of the single- and multi-segment robots, and their ability to turn. Moreover, we evaluated the robustness of the multi-segment robot when one or more segments are disabled. During straight-line locomotion, the one-segment system can crawl with minimal penalties on low-friction substrates. In contrast, the multi-segment system, when the distribution of mass is even, is insensitive to both substrate friction and frequency. The turning locomotion results reveal tradeoffs between efficiency and maneuverability. Systems with high efficiency during straight-line locomotion have high displacement and COT penalties while turning. Finally, the paper assesses the multi-segment system robustness to failure when one or more segments are disabled. For straight-line motion, the robot can continue operating with up to two segments disabled. During turning locomotion, the robot can operate only with one segment disabled, with the penalties to COT and displacement depending on the distribution of disabled segments. Thus, with the ability to crawl effectively on a range of substrates and at varying frequencies, both as a single- and multi-segment system, this robot is a viable option for applications where redundancy and modularity are much needed.