Development of a peristaltic crawling robot using magnetic fluid on the basis of the locomotion mechanism of the earthworm

摘要

In the field of bio-engineering the aim of developing new machines which utilize the motion and control of organisms as a model is attracting attention. This technology is pursued by paying attention to various shapes and movements of organisms and autonomous system of organisms that act in response to the environment surrounding them, and by mechanically elucidating the locomotion mechanism, propulsive mechanism, nerve system and sensation system for these organisms. On the other hand, in the field of hydrodynamics, magnetic fluid that changes its apparent viscosity depending on the magnetic field has been developed, and its utilization is under trial in various fields.Attention has been paid to the peristaltic crawling of the earthworm as a transport function in place of wheels or ambulation, and based on these observations a micro-robot running inside a tube using magnetic fluid has been developed. In this micro-robot, individual cells corresponding to the earthworm's segment are composed of a natural rubber tube sealed with water-based magnetic fluid, and several cells are connected with elastic rods made of natural rubber.The feature of this micro-robot is that its structure is simply composed, and it can be controlled with external wireless force, by providing it with moving magnetism from the outside. This paper presents the analytical result on the peristaltic crawling of an actual earthworm and the evaluation result for the transport mechanism of a prototype micro-robot moved by an external magnetic field.