One of the major problems facing mobile soft robots is the slow speed at which they move. This is due to issues related to power density, low actuator speed, and inefficient locomotion strategies. This project aimed to solve this problem by proposing a hexapod prototype using existing “fast” pneumatic networks actuators with an improved gait. The robot was made from cast elastomers. The casts were 3D printed and designed to easily produce cheap and reliable pneumatic actuator networks.

The solution that we propose is a novel hexapod design which uses the fast pneumatic networks presented in Mosagdegh et al. (2014). The robot is comprised of main body, pneumatic control tubing, and leg assemblies. A CAD rendering of the robot can be seen in the figure above. The body of the robot is an elastomer block that has include 6 integrated molded hip actuators. It also has channels which allow the pneumatic control tubing to connect to the legs and hip actuators. The hip actuators attach directly to each leg assembly and allow each leg to be angled forwards and backwards. The leg actuators are comprised of a single pneu-net actuator which allows the robot to lift the end of the leg off of the ground. A strategic combination of hip and leg actuation allow the robot to generate a functional 6 legged gait.