The Soft Wheel Robot was a collaborative research project between the Organic Robotics Lab and the Autonomous Systems Lab at Cornell University. We intended to test a new method of locomotion, with the goal of having an “untethered” robot. Many soft robots have pneumatic lines connecting them with a stationary source of compressed air to actuate their limbs, making them “tethered”. It is a challenge to create an untethered soft robot, as it must be capable of carrying its own source of compressed air, along with electrical and control components. This project won 1st place in Harvard’s Soft Robotics Design Competition in 2015. More details on the project can be found at https://softroboticstoolkit.com/soft-wheel-robot.
2019 UPDATE: Looks like folks at NASA’s Langley Research Lab thought this style of robot was interesting enough to explore themselves, as seen here.
