Applied Sciences

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The design of robots of all shapes and sizes is inspired by the ability of animals to move effectively in their environment. Recent years have seen an increasing interest in nature-inspired modeling for solving complex computational problems; recent work shows strong potential in creating artificial systems that mimic insect behavior for solving complex coordination tasks. These insects have evolved over a long time and display unusual behaviors that are highly suitable for addressing complex tasks. The insect-inspired multiagent research applying these techniques to robotic systems is motivated by a wide range of application areas, such as surveillance and patrolling, exploration and identification of hazardous environments, space exploration, etc. Though easy to simulate, artificial pheromones are hard to bring into real-life robotic applications. This Special Issue will be of interest mainly to scientists, researchers, and students working in bio-inspired robotics and multirobot systems. Still, it can also be interesting to other readers interested in the more general areas of robotics and control.

Prof. Dr. Nuno Miguel Fonseca Ferreira
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

bio-inspired robots
robotics
control
swarm intelligence
humanoid robots

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

8 pages, 4812 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Granular Media Friction Pad for Robot Shoes—Hexagon Patterning Enhances Friction on Wet Surfaces

by Halvor T. Tramsen, Lars Heepe and Stanislav N. Gorb

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(23), 11287; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311287 - 29 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1799

Abstract

For maximizing friction forces of robotic legs on an unknown/unpredictable substrate, we introduced the granular media friction pad, consisting of a thin elastic membrane encasing loosely filled granular material. On coming into contact with a substrate, the fluid-like granular material flows around the substrate asperities and achieves large contact areas with the substrate. Upon applying load, the granular material undergoes the jamming transition, rigidifies and becomes solid-like. High friction forces are generated by mechanical interlocking on rough substrates, internal friction of the granular media and by the enhanced contact area caused by the deformation of the membrane. This system can adapt to a large variety of dry substrate topologies. To further increase its performance on moist or wet substrates, we adapted the granular media friction pad by structuring the outside of the membrane with a 3D hexagonal pattern. This results in a significant increase in friction under lubricated conditions, thus greatly increasing the universal applicability of the granular media friction pad for a multitude of environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Inspired Robot and Multirobot Systems)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 3632 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Biologically Inspired Height-Adjustable Jumping Robot

by Yunqian Ma, Yuliang Wei and Deyi Kong

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5167; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115167 - 2 Jun 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3676

Abstract

This paper presents the design and development of a miniature integrated jumping and running robot that can adjust its route trajectory and has passive self-righting. The jumping mechanism of the robot was developed by using a novel design strategy that combines hard-bodied animal (springtail) and soft-bodied animal (gall midge larvae) locomotion. It could reach a height of about 1.5 m under a load of 98.6 g and a height of about 1.2 m under a load of 156.8 g. To enhance the jumping flexibility of the robot, a clutch system with an adjustable height and launch time control was used such that the robot could freely switch to appropriate jumping heights. In addition, the robot has a shell with passive righting to protect the robot while landing and automatically self-righting it after landing, which makes the continuous jumping, running, and steering of the robot possible. The two-wheel mechanism integrated at the bottom of the housing mechanism provides the robot with horizontal running locomotion, which is combined with the vertical jumping locomotion to obtain different locomotion trajectories. This robot has the functions of obstacle surmounting, track adjustability, and load- and self-righting, which has strong practical application value. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Inspired Robot and Multirobot Systems)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2548 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Conceptual Design of the Combinable Legged Robot Bio-Inspired by Ants’ Structure

by Chin Ean Yeoh and Hak Yi

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1379; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041379 - 3 Feb 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2173

Abstract

This study presents a new combinable multi-legged modular robot that mimics the structures of ants to expand the physical capabilities of the legged robot. To do this, the robot design is focused on exploring a fusion of two robotic platforms, modular and multi-legged, in which both the body frame and the legged structure are designed to be a rectangular prism and a 3-DoF sprawling-type articulated leg structure, respectively. By imitating ants’ claws, the hook-link structure of the robot as the coupling mechanism is proposed. This study includes the platform’s development, and the experimental work on the locomotion in both single and combined modes is carried out. The result of this study proves that mimicking ants’ structure in the proposed robots successfully enhances the capability of the conventional legged robot. It is feasible to use in a multi-robot system to realize ants’ super-organized behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Inspired Robot and Multirobot Systems)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Bio-Inspired Robot and Multirobot Systems

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (3 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI