The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Exoskeletons
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Markets
    • Agriculture
    • Healthcare
    • Logistics
    • Manufacturing
    • Mining
    • Security
  • Financial
    • Investments
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Earnings
  • Resources
    • Careers
    • COVID-19
    • Digital Issues
    • Publications
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
      • Robotics Business Review
    • RBR50 Winners 2022
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
    • Leave a voicemail

Wall-climbing robot inspired by the soft body of a leech

By The Robot Report Staff | May 11, 2019

Robotics developers have long looked to biologically inspired designs for novel means of propulsion. The research team of Dr. Tomoaki Mashimo, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology, and Dr. Fumiya Iida, a reader in robotics of the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge, has successfully developed a leech-shaped robot, “LEeCH,” which can climb vertical wall.

LEeCH — Longitudinally Extensible Continuum — is inspired by the animal subclass Hirudinea. It has a flexible body, made of a material used for shower hose, and two suction cups. The robot is capable of elongating and bending its body without any constraints, just like a leech.

Thanks to its flexible body structure and the suction cups, the robot has successfully climbed a vertical wall and even reached to the other side of the wall. The study was published in Soft Robotics, an American scientific journal, on March 27, 2019.

Wall-climbing robots have a wide range of potential applications, including building inspection and maintenance, plus search and rescue tasks at disaster sites. Climbing straight up vertical walls is fairly easy to accomplish. However, in reality, the robot may have to navigate over obstacles on the wall such as steps and transition to walls with different directions.

The hardest task is to reach the other side of the wall. A robot capable of climbing up to the top of the wall has to face extreme difficulty in traversing the summit over to the other side.

The team has developed a robot inspired by land leeches, which are excellent climbers in nature. The land leeches, usually found in forests or mountains, can move around complex terrain and walls using two suction cups on both ends of bodies and soft extensible bodies. Their bodies are so light and soft that they are not subject to great damage from a fall from height.

Leech-inspired suction cup for climbing robot

Schematic of proposed climbing robot. (a) Real leech. (b) LEeCH. Cretid: Toyohashi University of Technology

The team designed a new motion mechanism using tube structure of shower hose to mimic the advantageous properties of leeches, namely, being lightweight, flexible, and extensible.

The flexible tube has a metal plate with S-shaped profile spirally wound has been used in general households. A gear engages with the helical groove on the surface of the tube. The flexible tube moves back and forth by the rotational motion. The LEeCH robot has a body composed of three flexible tubes that are connected in parallel. The body can bend or elongate by controlling the length of each flexible tube fed by the gear.

The LEeCH robot successfully achieved upward/downward climbing and horizontal transition on a vertical wall. By combining these two transitions, the robot is capable of moving freely on a two-dimensional wall surface. The robot’s flexible body with large deformation enabled it to transition from one side of a vertical wall to the other side. This is the world’s first achievement in developing soft and flexible robot that is capable of free movement on a wall.

Robotics Summit & Expo 2019 logoKeynotes | Speakers | Exhibitors | Register

Inspired in the shower

“I came up with the idea in the bathroom of my house,” said Ayato Kanada, a doctoral programs student and lead author of the study. “The shower hose went wild as if it had a life of its own when I inadvertently turned on the faucet at maximum. Then an idea occurred to me that if I could manipulate a hose, I might be able to make a robot with dynamic movement of living creature.”

Making the most of the hollow structure of the shower hose, the team is considering the possibility of changing stiffness of the tube by pouring fluid into the cavity. A robot with a flexible body structure is not only highly adaptable to environment, but also highly secure against collision and could safely collaborate with humans.

This work was supported by the Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Research Fellow (No. 17J04776), the U.K.’s Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) DTP under Award 1476475 and RG92738, and Mathworks Ltd RG90950 378. Ayato Kanada, the first author, was supported by the Program for Leading Graduate Schools conducted by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles Read More >

UR20 cobot Universal Robots
Anders Beck introduces the UR20; California bans autonomous tractors
John Deere autonomous tractor
Calif.’s ongoing ban of autonomous tractors a major setback
cruise robotaxis in San Francisco
Cruise hits milestone by charging for robotaxis rides in SF
synkar mobile robot on sidewalk
Synkar offers sidewalk delivery as a service

2021 Robotics Handbook

The Robot Report Listing Database

Latest Robotics News

Robot Report Podcast

Anders Beck introduces the UR20; California bans autonomous tractors
See More >

Sponsored Content

  • Magnetic encoders support the stabilization control of a self-balancing two-wheeled robotic vehicle
  • How to best choose your AGV’s Wheel Drive provider
  • Meet Trey, the autonomous trailer (un)loading forklift
  • Kinova Robotics launches Link 6, the first Canadian industrial collaborative robot
  • Torque sensors help make human/robot collaborations safer for workers

RBR50 Innovation Awards

Leave us a voicemail

The Robot Report
  • Mobile Robot Guide
  • Collaborative Robotics Trends
  • Field Robotics Forum
  • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
  • RoboBusiness Event
  • Robotics Business Review
  • Robotics Summit & Expo
  • About The Robot Report
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Exoskeletons
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Markets
    • Agriculture
    • Healthcare
    • Logistics
    • Manufacturing
    • Mining
    • Security
  • Financial
    • Investments
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Earnings
  • Resources
    • Careers
    • COVID-19
    • Digital Issues
    • Publications
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
      • Robotics Business Review
    • RBR50 Winners 2022
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
    • Leave a voicemail