Chu Yichen, Wang Yahui, Bao Mingzheng, Hao Tiancheng, Lv Zhifeng, Li Xiaohao, Yu Tianbiao, Zhao Ji
School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, People's Republic of China.
Bioinspir Biomim. 2025 Aug 12;20(5). doi: 10.1088/1748-3190/adf6f7.
This paper presents the design and fabrication of a compact underdriven bionic frog robot, which is inspired by the locomotion stance of a frog. The robot's hind legs were ingeniously built using an underdriven associative 8-bar linkage mechanism with a single motor drive to mimic the swimming motion of a frog. To enhance the robot's biomechanics and locomotor capabilities, the robot's shell was designed to mimic biological features and adjust buoyancy. In addition, the body of the robot has three sealed chambers, which include a module for adjusting its center of gravity, an energy module, and a control and communication module. The robot is equipped with an integrated E30-170T27D transceiver chip specifically designed for wireless communication in shallow water. The Tensilica Xtensa LX6 microprocessor can perform sensor data acquisition and control robotic movements. Prototype experiments demonstrated that the frog robot is capable of achieving stable autonomous swimming and three-dimensional longitudinal movement. This is made possible by using two independently driven hind legs and a center-of-gravity adjustment mechanism. The robot exhibits an average speed of 100 mm s. Furthermore, owing to its low drive, high bionic, and small design, the robot minimized perturbations to the water environment during underwater movement. This allows a stable water environment for underwater measurements and improves the overall endurance time. This study improves the overall endurance and provides a theoretical basis for the design of underdrive mechanisms for future bionic underwater robots.
本文介绍了一种紧凑型欠驱动仿生青蛙机器人的设计与制造，该机器人灵感来源于青蛙的运动姿态。机器人的后腿巧妙地采用了欠驱动关联八杆连杆机构，通过单电机驱动来模仿青蛙的游泳动作。为增强机器人的生物力学性能和运动能力，机器人外壳设计成模仿生物特征并调节浮力。此外，机器人主体有三个密封腔室，包括一个用于调节重心的模块、一个能量模块以及一个控制与通信模块。该机器人配备了专门为浅水中无线通信设计的集成E30 - 170T27D收发芯片。Tensilica Xtensa LX6微处理器可进行传感器数据采集并控制机器人运动。原型实验表明，青蛙机器人能够实现稳定的自主游泳和三维纵向运动。这是通过使用两条独立驱动的后腿和重心调节机构实现的。该机器人平均速度为100毫米/秒。此外，由于其低驱动、高仿生和小型化设计，机器人在水下运动时对水环境的扰动最小。这为水下测量提供了稳定的水环境，并延长了整体续航时间。本研究提高了整体续航能力，为未来仿生水下机器人欠驱动机构的设计提供了理论依据。
