Design of Slim Slime Robot II (SSR-II) with Bridle Bellows

Abstract

This paper introduces a new concept in snake like robots, namely the Slim Slime Robot 2 (SSR-II), which has an added degree of freedom to stretch the body segment. The active cord mechanism (snake like robot) is capable of performing several tasks in narrow spaces, such as moving under collapsed houses, and inspection of pipelines at plants. Conventional snake robot mechanisms are designed as a series of connected articulated segments that have two degrees of freedom each. The SSR-II, with Bridle Bellows units composed of a large caliber bellows and a wire lock system, is explained. Bridle Bellows is an example of the "Bridle drive" which is introduced in this paper. The Bridle Bellows are able to change shape by controlling wire length and air pressure and produce large power. Therefore, from the experiment, SSR-II is shown to be effective for moving mechanisms at rough forging, which can transfer several locomotion forms.