CONTEXT: Earthworms have been used as a traditional medicine in China from thousands of years. In recent years, research has demonstrated that earthworm extracts might promote wound healing; however, its mechanism is still unknown.
Inspired by the morphology characteristics of the earthworms and the excellent deformability of origami structures, this research creates a novel earthworm-like locomotion robot through exploiting the origami techniques. In this innovation, appropria...
Earthworms locomote using traveling waves of segment contraction and expansion, which when symmetric result in straight-line locomotion and when biased result in turning. The mechanics of the soft body permit a large range of possible body shapes whi...
We present the design, fabrication, modeling and feedback control of an earthworm-inspired soft robot capable of bidirectional locomotion on both horizontal and inclined flat platforms. In this approach, the locomotion patterns are controlled by acti...
The bodies of earthworms are composed of repeating deformable structural units, called metameres, that generate the peristaltic body motions required for limbless underground burrowing and above-ground crawling. Metameres are actuated by circular and...
Biomechanics and modeling in mechanobiology
32651774
A continuous model for the peristaltic locomotion of compressible and incompressible rod-like bodies is presented. Using Green and Naghdi's theory of a directed rod, incompressibility is enforced as an internal constraint. A discussion on muscle actu...
Locomotion of earthworm-like metameric robots results from shape changes of deformable segments. Morphologically, the segments could stretch, contract or bend by changing their states. Periodic shape changes are recognized as gaits of the robots. Rob...
Earthworm-like peristaltic locomotion has been implemented in >50 robots, with many potential applications in otherwise inaccessible terrain. Design guidelines for peristaltic locomotion have come from observations of biology, but robots have empiric...
Earthworms (Crassiclitellata) being ecosystem engineers significantly affect the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil by recycling organic material, increasing nutrient availability, and improving soil structure. The efficiency o...
Earthworms () are characterized by soft, highly flexible and extensible bodies, and are capable of locomoting in most terrestrial environments. Previous studies of earthworm movement focused on the use of retrograde peristaltic gaits in which control...