Source Paper: Theoretical Modeling and Experimental Analysis of a Pressure-Operated Soft Robotic Snake
M. Luo, M. Agheli, and C. D. Onal, “Theoretical Modeling and Experimental Analysis of a Pressure-Operated Soft Robotic Snake,” Soft Robotics, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 136–146, Jun. 2014, doi: 10.1089/soro.2013.0011.
This paper was found in the Survey Paper references. It describes a novel method to model the dynamics of a soft robotic snake.
Root Paper: A Modular Approach to Soft Robots
C. D. Onal and D. Rus, “A modular approach to soft robots,” in 2012 4th IEEE RAS EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob), Jun. 2012, pp. 1038–1045. doi: 10.1109/BioRob.2012.6290290.
From the source paper, I was looking for a paper that described some of the general design principles for a snake-like soft robot. This paper presents a method to link segments of elastomeric actuation elements. The segments are actuated via pressurized fluid. A snake-like soft robot is presented, representing a series configuration of the elastomeric elements, and a rolling soft robot is shown as an example of a parallel configuration. Hybrid configurations are also discussed with general equations to determine the overall motion
Lateral Paper 1: Design, Kinematics, and Application of Axially and Radially Expandable Modular Soft Pneumatic Actuators
N. Wang, B. Chen, X. Ge, X. Zhang, and W. Chen, “Design, Kinematics, and Application of Axially and Radially Expandable Modular Soft Pneumatic Actuators,” Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, vol. 13, no. 2, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.1115/1.4049973.
This paper expands on the root paper by presenting an application of the elastomeric actuation elements. By constraining the expansion of the elements either radially or axially, different motions can be generated. The paper shows prototypes for biped and quadruped soft robots which can crawl along the insides of tubes with uneven surfaces and curvature. Kinematic models for the actuators are also defined and compared to experimental results.
Lateral Paper 2: Gait and Locomotion Analysis of a Soft-hybrid Multi-legged Modular Miniature Robot
N. Mahkam and O. Özcan, “Gait and locomotion analysis of a soft-hybrid multi-legged modular miniature robot,” Bioinspir. Biomim., vol. 16, no. 6, p. 066009, Sep. 2021, doi: 10.1088/1748-3190/ac245e.
This paper discusses the current problem in the soft robotics field that the performance of miniature soft robots is often far below that of similarly sized creatures in nature (ie insects). The paper describes the design and analysis of a multi-legged modular miniature robot with soft backbone connectors and rigid legs with compliant joints. Based on the compliance of the legs, backbone connectors, and number of modules, the optimum gait cycle for the robot is determined.
This paper is related to the root paper as it describes an application of modular soft robotic actuators.