CAREER: Transformable and Reconfigurable Soft Robots

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award will introduce a novel systematic approach to combining simple soft robotic modules into sophisticated cyber-physical systems, capable of performing complex manipulation and locomotion tasks. Soft robotics has demonstrated the potential for mimicking the diverse multifunctionality of biological organisms, thereby creating the next generation of adaptable, versatile, and human-friendly robots. However, much work needs to be done to enable this development beyond research laboratories. In a fundamental shift from traditional robotics, this project will explore the design and modeling of simple plug-n-play modules to achieve complex and reconfigurable emergent functionalities. Among other societal impacts, the outcomes of this project would aid in the development of co-robots for factory automation, wearable rehabilitation systems, and search & rescue and reconnaissance robots. The project will also support an extensive education plan that includes undergraduate robotic curriculum development, undergraduate research internships, and international student exchange program, as well as an outreach plan that includes workshops and summer academy for local high school students in Chicago. The objective of this project is to develop a systematic methodology for the optimal configuration of canonical variable stiffness soft robotic units into sophisticated cyber-physical systems. To achieve this objective, the research will proceed with two thrusts. The first thrust focuses on formulating a novel nonlinear bioinspired design philosophy that harnesses the “strength in numbers” and the art of “assembly”. The central feature of this approach is the leveraging of a set of simple soft robotic modules or designs with varying operational complexity and mechanical properties. The second thrust focuses on finding how to optimally configure these modules to solve challenging manipulation and locomotion tasks. The strategy is based on learning and evolutionary computing techniques and iterative assembly around the goal of minimal design complexity and reduced control challenges for a given task. Along with research, a third thrust focuses on integrating research with education at the high school, college, and post-college levels. Endeavors include incorporating robotics into the curriculum at the undergrad level within the Engineering program in the School of Computing at DePaul University. Additionally, outreach activities will also take place to raise awareness of robotics in the Chicago Public School System high school students via workshops and annual summer academy. This project is supported by the cross-directorate Foundational Research in Robotics program, jointly managed and funded by the Directorates for Engineering (ENG) and Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.