Researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University have built a new class of 3D-printed robots, called TeCoBots, that move more like elephant trunks or snakes than traditional machines.
Each TeCoBot is roughly two feet long and uses a design approach called tensegrity, in which cylindrical rods are held together by a web of tensioned cables instead of rigid joints. That construction lets the robot bend, twist, roll, and collapse on itself rather than move in the stiff, segmented way most robots do.
In testing, a remote human operator guided a TeCoBot’s flexible body and its gripper claws, mounted on either end, to climb over a large outdoor branch. The robots have also been shown shimmying up pipes and moving in a slithering motion similar to a snake.
The research team says the robots are not equipped with artificial intelligence. They are intended for use in environments that are difficult or impossible for humans, or for more rigid robots, to access, including underwater settings and tight confined spaces around infrastructure.
Robots That Link Together
A key feature of the design is the claws at each end, which allow individual TeCoBots to connect directly to one another rather than relying on magnets or other connectors that are more prone to mechanical failure.
Once linked, the robots can distribute physical stress across the combined system, reducing the load on any single unit. The research team describes this shared load-bearing capability as a form of “embodied intelligence” built into the physical structure of the machines rather than into software.
The TeCoBot project adds to a growing list of unconventional robot designs emerging from university and industry labs in recent months, as engineers experiment with flexible, animal-inspired movement for use in hard-to-reach environments.
