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About this paper
Pascal Auf der Maur, Betim Djambazi, Yves Haberthür, Patricia Hörmann, Alexander Kübler, Michael Lustenberger, Samuel Sigrist, Oda Vigen and 5 more
RoBoa, developed by ETH Zurich's Autonomous Systems and Soft Robotics Labs, presents a steerable vine robot designed for search and rescue operations. It addresses challenges of navigating cluttered disaster sites by employing an everting tube for locomotion, which minimizes external friction, combined with a novel internal pneumatic steering mechanism at the tip. The prototype successfully demonstrated navigating complex debris fields, reaching 17 meters in length, locating a hidden person, and facilitating two-way audio communication in real-world simulations.
Key insights
- The unique decoupling of locomotion (everting tube) from steering (internal pneumatic actuators) allows for greatly extended lengths (17m) while maintaining precise control at the tip.
- Vine robots inherently minimize external friction by remaining stationary relative to the environment during eversion, overcoming a major limitation of traditional tethered robots in cluttered spaces.
- Decentralizing the control of pneumatic actuators by placing valve terminals directly on the internal robot minimizes cable complexity and improves responsiveness, enabling robust operation in challenging environments.
Summary by alphaXiv.
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