Active Hose: an artificial elephant's nose with maneuverability for rescue operation

Abstract

Proposes both the design concept and the driving mechanism of a flexible robot with multiple degrees of freedom to dive into debris. Up to now, several kinds of pneumatic robots with flexibility have been developed, however, they could not perform multiple degrees of freedom with high bending moment. A new type of robot, called Active Hose, is proposed which has multiple degrees of freedom by connecting units of two degrees freedom in series and has high bending moment by introducing a spine structure and using the deformation of spiral tubes. Active Hose with this performance can be expected to be applied to rescue operations such as searching for victims under debris just after an earthquake, supplying fresh air and drinking water for victims, and carrying air jacks so as to make a room for the victims to escape.