Embodied design for enhanced flipper-based locomotion in complex terrains
Abstract Robots are becoming increasingly essential for traversing complex environments such as disaster areas, extraterrestrial terrains, and marine environments. Yet, their potential is often limited by mobility and adaptability constraints. In nature, various animals have evolved finely tuned des...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91948-3 |
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| author | Nnamdi C. Chikere John Simon McElroy Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin |
| author_facet | Nnamdi C. Chikere John Simon McElroy Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin |
| author_sort | Nnamdi C. Chikere |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Robots are becoming increasingly essential for traversing complex environments such as disaster areas, extraterrestrial terrains, and marine environments. Yet, their potential is often limited by mobility and adaptability constraints. In nature, various animals have evolved finely tuned designs and anatomical features that enable efficient locomotion in diverse environments. Sea turtles, for instance, possess specialized flippers that facilitate both long-distance underwater travel and adept maneuvers across a range of coastal terrains. Building on the principles of embodied intelligence and drawing inspiration from sea turtle hatchings, this paper examines the critical interplay between a robot’s physical form and its environmental interactions, focusing on how morphological traits and locomotive behaviors affect terrestrial navigation. We present a bioinspired robotic system and study the impacts of flipper/body morphology and gait patterns on its terrestrial mobility across diverse terrains ranging from sand to rocks. Evaluating key performance metrics such as speed and cost of transport, our experimental results highlight adaptive designs as crucial for multi-terrain robotic mobility to achieve not only speed and efficiency but also the versatility needed to tackle the varied and complex terrains encountered in real-world applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ae6a01776d4045b3bca258e39f0ce934 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-ae6a01776d4045b3bca258e39f0ce9342025-08-20T02:59:24ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111410.1038/s41598-025-91948-3Embodied design for enhanced flipper-based locomotion in complex terrainsNnamdi C. Chikere0John Simon McElroy1Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin2Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Notre DameSchool of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University College DublinDepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of Notre DameAbstract Robots are becoming increasingly essential for traversing complex environments such as disaster areas, extraterrestrial terrains, and marine environments. Yet, their potential is often limited by mobility and adaptability constraints. In nature, various animals have evolved finely tuned designs and anatomical features that enable efficient locomotion in diverse environments. Sea turtles, for instance, possess specialized flippers that facilitate both long-distance underwater travel and adept maneuvers across a range of coastal terrains. Building on the principles of embodied intelligence and drawing inspiration from sea turtle hatchings, this paper examines the critical interplay between a robot’s physical form and its environmental interactions, focusing on how morphological traits and locomotive behaviors affect terrestrial navigation. We present a bioinspired robotic system and study the impacts of flipper/body morphology and gait patterns on its terrestrial mobility across diverse terrains ranging from sand to rocks. Evaluating key performance metrics such as speed and cost of transport, our experimental results highlight adaptive designs as crucial for multi-terrain robotic mobility to achieve not only speed and efficiency but also the versatility needed to tackle the varied and complex terrains encountered in real-world applications.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91948-3 |
| spellingShingle | Nnamdi C. Chikere John Simon McElroy Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin Embodied design for enhanced flipper-based locomotion in complex terrains Scientific Reports |
| title | Embodied design for enhanced flipper-based locomotion in complex terrains |
| title_full | Embodied design for enhanced flipper-based locomotion in complex terrains |
| title_fullStr | Embodied design for enhanced flipper-based locomotion in complex terrains |
| title_full_unstemmed | Embodied design for enhanced flipper-based locomotion in complex terrains |
| title_short | Embodied design for enhanced flipper-based locomotion in complex terrains |
| title_sort | embodied design for enhanced flipper based locomotion in complex terrains |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91948-3 |
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