Journal of Bionic Engineering ›› 2020, Vol. 17 ›› Issue (3): 570-579.doi: 10.1007/s42235-020-0045-0
Geckos Distributing Adhesion to Toes in Upside-down Running Offers Bioinspiration to Robots
Yi Song1, Xiaobo Lu2, Jun Zhou2, Zhouyi Wang1, Zehua Zhang3, Zhendong Dai1*
- 1. College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
2. College of Astronautics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
3. Base of Gecko Breeding, Guangyuan Industry Co., Ltd, Yunnan Tin Group, Gejiu 661000, China
Geckos Distributing Adhesion to Toes in Upside-down Running Offers Bioinspiration to Robots
Yi Song1, Xiaobo Lu2, Jun Zhou2, Zhouyi Wang1, Zehua Zhang3, Zhendong Dai1*
- 1. College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
2. College of Astronautics, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
3. Base of Gecko Breeding, Guangyuan Industry Co., Ltd, Yunnan Tin Group, Gejiu 661000, China
摘要： Discoveries in geckos locomotion have advanced the bio-inspired robotics. However, the gecko-inspired robots still lag behind animals in attachments and maneuvers due to our failure to understand and implement gecko bionics thoroughly. Here, we studied the toe deployments that facilitate the upside-down motion of geckos by focusing on the directions and contact area of toes to offer inspirations for the design and control of feet of legged robots that must operate on inverted surfaces. Instead of clustering toes, geckos align toes in varying directions. They distribute adhesion to toes by controlling the magnitude of contact area, with one square millimeter setae generating ~153.8 mN shear force and ~39.5 mN attractive force on ceilings. Front feet deploy toes in a ~190? span that centers on ~16? from the motion direction. Toes distribute uniformly and contribute similarly. Whereas, hind feet deploy toes in a ~220? span centering around ~90? relative to the fore-aft direction. The last two toes point toward the rear and contribute most in hind feet while the first two toes adhere barely. Such deployments involving distributed control among toes not only provide insight into biological adhesion but will also deliver useful information to the next generation of climbing robotics.