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Closed Skin Drive Mechanism Enables High Mobility on Rough Terrain with Origami Structure Track Belt

Research Project

Project/Area Number 21K14118
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section Basic Section 20020:Robotics and intelligent system-related
Research InstitutionTohoku University

Principal Investigator

Watanabe Masahiro  東北大学, タフ・サイバーフィジカルAI研究センター, 助教 (00823452)

Project Period (FY) 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2023)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
Keywordsクローラ / 折り紙 / 索状体 / ソフトロボット / 折紙 / 無限循環 / ソフトロボティクス
Outline of Research at the Start

折紙の幾何学を用いた,伸びずに柔らかい構造に着目し,完全気密な蛇腹型の袋状履帯を能動的に変形・循環させることにより,不整地でも高い走破性を実現できる移動体の推進原理の確立を目的とする.全表面駆動・完全気密構造・大変形の機能をもつ,これまでに無く高い不整地走破性を有する移動体を目指したものである.折紙構造の無限循環体は研究例が無く未開拓領域あり,その設計手法の確立と移動性能の限界を究明する.

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The main achievement of our research period is the proposal and realization of a mechanism combining a novel origami structure with a continuous track belt. Specifically, we've clarified the design methodology and performance of a mechanism to effectively bend a origami tracked body. Furthermore, we established implementation methods for driving belts with multiple bending parts with minimal resistance, utilizing anti-friction rollers and pinch roller drive mechanisms. Additionally, we conducted mobility tests to measure the performance of the vehicle, such as propulsion speed and turning radius. Consequently, we have realized the concept of a snake-like mono-track that possesses functions beneficial for off-road travel, namely a theoretically perfect hermetic structure, non-sliding interaction with the environment, and selectable directionality.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

研究成果の学術的意義と社会的意義は、折り紙構造と履帯を組み合わせることで、三次元的に変形可能な新しい表面循環機構を提案し、その応用例として不整地移動体を示し、設計手法を明らかにしたことにある。この機構は、内部の駆動装置が袋状の履帯で包まれているため、原理上、防水・防塵構造を備え、ボディの上面・下面・側面との接触による摺動抵抗を低減可能で、移動の方向選択も可能である。これにより、複雑で劣悪な環境を走行する移動体への活用が期待される。

Report

(4 results)
  • 2023 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2022 Research-status Report
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (2 results)

All 2022

All Presentation (2 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results)

  • [Presentation] Toroidal Origami Monotrack: Mechanism to Realize Smooth Driving and Bending for Closed-Skin-Drive Robots2022

    • Author(s)
      Masahiro Watanabe, Yuto Kemmotsu, Kenjiro Tadakuma, Kazuki Abe, Masashi Konyo, Satoshi Tadokoro
    • Organizer
      2022 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)
    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] トーラス型折紙クローラ2022

    • Author(s)
      渡辺将広,釼持優人,前澤侑大,阿部一樹,多田隈建二郎,昆陽雅司,田所諭
    • Organizer
      ロボティクス・メカトロニクス講演会2022
    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report

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Published: 2021-04-28   Modified: 2025-01-30  

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