TerraSkipper: A Centimeter-Scale Robot for Multi-Terrain Skipping and Crawling
This work provides a novel bio-inspired locomotion strategy for small robots operating in challenging terrains like mud, sand, and grass, but the results are incremental as they demonstrate a proof-of-concept without quantitative comparison to existing robots.
Inspired by mudskippers, this paper presents a centimeter-scale robot that uses a rotary springtail for skipping and fins for crawling, achieving multi-terrain locomotion. Skipping produced higher mean velocities than crawling on viscous and granular media, with the tail generating up to 6N peak propulsive force.
Mudskippers are unique amphibious fish capable of locomotion in diverse environments, including terrestrial surfaces, aquatic habitats, and highly viscous substrates such as mud. This versatile locomotion is largely enabled by their powerful tail, which stores and rapidly releases energy to produce impulsive jumps. Inspired by this biological mechanism, we present the design and development of a multi-terrain centimeter-scale skipping and crawling robot. The robot is predominantly 3D printed and features onboard sensing, computation, and power. It is equipped with two side fins for crawling, each integrated with a hall effect sensor for gait control, while a rotary springtail driven by a 10mm planetary gear motor enables continuous impulsive skipping across a range of substrates to achieve multi-terrain locomotion. We modeled and experimentally characterized the tail, identifying an optimal length of 25mm that maximizes the mean propulsive force (4N, peaks up to 6N) for forward motion. In addition, we evaluated skipping on substrates where fin based crawling alone fails, and varied the moisture content of uniform sand and bentonite clay powder to compare skipping with crawling. Skipping consistently produced higher mean velocities than crawling, particularly on viscous and granular media. Finally, outdoor tests on grass, loose sand, and hard ground confirmed that combining skipping on entangling and granular terrain with crawling on firm ground extends the operational range of the robot in real-world environments.