Design and prototyping of root-inspired soft-growing robot
Design and prototyping of root-inspired soft-growing robot
This paper introduces RootBot, a bio-inspired excavation robot modeled after plant root growth. Utilizing inflatable soft plastic tubes, RootBot emulates root-like propulsion, allowing flexible navigation through complex underground pathways. The prototype consists of propulsion, excavation, and discharge modules. It demonstrates straight excavation capabilities at an advance rate of 0.82 cm/min in wet sand, along with high-curvature steering and retraction in meter-scale experiments. We discuss RootBot's scalability for easy adaptation to specific tasks and the necessary iterations to enhance performance. With continued development, RootBot could provide a versatile tool in geotechnical engineering, enabling precise excavation and effective navigation around unexpected underground obstacles.
D. Seo; Gyeol Han; Jee. Hwan Ryu; Tae-Hyuk Kwon
2025 International Conference on Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (ICBBG2025)
Special symposium: Bio-inspired tunneling
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICBBG2025-169
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