Printable monolithic hexapod robot driven by soft actuator

Aiming to apply soft actuators in driving a walking robot, the design, fabrication and locomotion of a bio-inspired printable hexapod robot are studied. The robot mimics the insect´s design and walking posture by driving six legs with alternating tripod gait which provides its locomotive adaptability on flat terrains. The versatile movements of the robot´s leg are achieved by using soft and multiple degree-of-freedom actuators. The actuators are made by dielectric elastomers with a simple mechanism based on antagonistic configuration. By using 3D printing method, the actuator can be embedded into the frame of the robot and a control system is developed. Finally, the robot´s locomotion is successfully demonstrated with variable speeds and stride lengths.