Adaptive Crawling with a Soft Skin: A Snake-Inspired Soft Robot for Rectilinear Locomotion

Snakes navigate with ease through narrow passages by moving in straight lines rather than waving their spine. Inspired by this unique locomotion skill, this project will develop an autonomous soft crawling robot that can move efficiently through complex environments. The robot propels itself by creating a harmony between its rhythmic body contractions and the friction properties of its flexible skin. The grant will fund one PhD student, one postdoc, and equipment.