Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University
04/14/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/14/2024 23:48
Magic cubes: reconfigurable underwater robotics
At the first sight of several square, gelatinous "cubes," you might find it hard to visualize them as a new type of underwater robot. Professor ZHOU Jing and her colleagues from College of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University ingeniously designed a set of neatly shaped and functionally diverse cubes. They can be quickly and flexibly assembled underwater to create an array of robot shapes and types, enabling efficient and effortless underwater operations.
An article titled "Cubic Marine Robotics", published on March 15th in the journal Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering, details the design concept, manufacturing process, and trial performance of this groundbreaking underwater robot. This marks the world's pioneering reconfigurable robot capable of underwater adaptation, promising a novel design paradigm with broad application prospects.
Underwater reconfiguration achieves aquatic autonomy
With the development of engineering technology, various underwater robots have been applied in rivers, lakes, and seas, assisting humans across a wide spectrum of tasks. However, thereremains a persistent desire for enhanced adaptability and flexibility. ZHOU Jing has long been committed to the research and development of underwater robots. Since 2021, she has been researching modular marine robots, attempting to modularize autonomous underwater vehicles by designing segmented compartments and assembling different components as per functional requirements to create different types of robots.
Yet, conventional underwater robots remain terrestrial at manufacturing and maintenance stages. "Robots need to be assembled and connected in the air before being submerged for operation. In real-world scenarios, once a robot needs maintenance, it must first be salvaged ashore," said ZHOU Jing. "This constraint impedes the expansion of underwater robot capabilities, prompting the realization that robots should not only navigate water but also assemble and reconfigure themselves underwater, thus becoming truly 'aquatic'".
Conquering complex marine challenges for underwater reconfiguration
"The complex underwater environment presents challenges for robots to truly embody 'aquatic' attributes," noted ZHOU Jing. "The performance of various components must remain stable, as must information and energy transmission between cubes. Traditional underwater robots, with their often metal or acrylic shells as 'skeletal systems' and various electronic components as 'brains and muscles,' fall short in meeting the needs of underwater 'reconfiguration'." This realization spurred ZHOU Jing and her colleagues towards a radically different transformation approach.
During deep-sea exploration, scientists observed that the skeleton of deep-sea lionfish is scattered throughout its gelatinous, soft body, allowing it to withstand the pressure of nearly 100 megapascals in the Mariana Trench. Inspired by this, Professor LI Tiefeng from School of Aeronautics and Astronautics successfully developed a biomimetic soft-bodied robot that explored the Mariana Trench. This study led ZHOU Jing to consider the utilization of gel-like materials to encapsulate scattered electronic circuit components, offering both sealing and pressure resistance.
"The cubic marine robot is composed of a series of interchangeable gelatinous cubic modules, each endowed with distinct underwater robot functionalities, such as power sources, perception devices or motors. The functional components inside the modules are fixed and encapsulated by gel-like materials," introduced CHE Yuchao, a team member.
"The interplay between different cubes in energy and information is also crucial for underwater reconfiguration. "Electromagnetic coupling primarily facilitates this process. For example, electrical energy and control signals can be transmitted from the power cube to the motor cube. In addition, two to four sides of each cube feature expandable contact surfaces, with magnets set on these surfaces to assist in locking connections between cubes. This way, underwater cubes can easily achieve underwater assembly and reconfiguration via structural, electrical, and informational connections," said ZHAO Limin, an engineer on the team.
Fig. 1: Cubic marine robotics
Diverse robot configurations for various underwater scenarios
The researchers present videos in their paper showcasing two cubic marine robots, in which cubes are easily stacked to assemble a robot. If the sensor cube is placed on one side of the power module and the motor cube on the other side, it can be assembled into a streamlined autonomous underwater robot suitable for navigation tasks. If the motor cube is symmetrically arranged around the power cube, the robot can perform vertical takeoff and landing like a drone.
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