Effect of surface roughness on attachment ability of locust Locusta migratoria manilensis

While most insect-inspired robots come with a simple tarsus, such as a hemispherical foot tip, insect legs have complex tarsal structures and claws, which enable them to walk on complex terrain. Their sharp claws can smoothly attach and detach on plant surfaces by actuating a single muscle. Thus, installing an insect-inspired tarsus on legged robots would improve their locomotion on complex terrain. This paper shows that the tendon-driven ball–socket structure provides the tarsus with both flexibility and rigidity, which is necessary for the beetle to walk on a complex substrate such as a mesh surface. Disabling the tarsus’ rigidity by removing the socket and elastic membrane of a tarsal joint, means that the claws could not attach to the mesh securely. Meanwhile, the beetle struggled to draw the claws out of the substrate when we turned the tarsus rigid by tubing. We then developed a cable-driven bio-inspired tarsus structure to validate the function of the tarsus as well as to show its potential application in the legged robot. With the tarsus, the robotic leg was able to attach and retract smoothly from the mesh substrate when performing a walking cycle.

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“…claws [28][29][30][31][32]. Smooth adhesive pads are generally soft and deformable and can be further subcategorized (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A robotic leg inspired from an insect leg

et al. 2022

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“…Locusts can adapt to substrates of various roughness, thanks to a combined grasping mechanism consisting of rigid claws that generate mechanical interlocking on rough substrates, and adhesive pads for vacuum adhesion on smooth substrates (Goodwyn et al, 2006 ; Wang et al, 2009 , 2015 ; Mo et al, 2019 ). This particular characteristic can be considered as a sort of morphological intelligence, which makes locusts capable of dealing with a wide variety of substrates, even much different from each other, avoiding slipping phenomena in both jumping and landing phase (Woodward and Sitti, 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Substrates' Compliance on the Jumping Mechanism of Locusta migratoria

Romano

Miraglia

et al. 2020

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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Locusts generally live and move in complex environments including different kind of substrates, ranging from compliant leaves to stiff branches. Since the contact force generates deformation of the substrate, a certain amount of energy is dissipated each time when locust jumps from a compliant substrate. In published researches, it is proven that only tree frogs are capable of recovering part of the energy that had been accumulated in the substrate as deformation energy in the initial pushing phase, just before leaving the ground. The jumping performances of adult Locusta migratoria on substrates of three different compliances demonstrate that locusts are able to adapt their jumping mode to the mechanical characteristics of the substrate. Recorded high speed videos illustrate the existence of deformed substrate's recoil before the end of the takeoff phase when locusts jump from compliant substrates, which indicates their ability of recovering part of energy from the substrate deformation. This adaptability is supposed to be related to the catapult mechanism adopted in locusts' jump thanks to their long hind legs and sticky tarsus. These findings improve the understanding of the jumping mechanism of locusts, as well as can be used to develop artifact outperforming current jumping robots in unstructured scenarios.

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“…The properties of the ground are another set of environmental factors that can potentially affect the locust jump, especially during the take-off stage. For example, surface roughness with an Ra value of 1-2 µm can reduce the ability of locust legs to attach to the substrate, resulting in considerable slippage of the hind legs on the ground and thus take-off failure [21,22]. Similar effects of surface roughness have also been documented in females of the Mediterranean field cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) crawling on smooth surfaces (R q = 7.3 µm), which resulted in significantly lower phonotactic responses compared with rougher surfaces (R q = 16 or 180 µm) [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Ground Type on the Jump Performance of Adults of the Locust Locusta migratoria manilensis: A Preliminary Study

Wan

Cao

Hao

2020

Insects

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The jump performance of locusts depends on several physiological and environmental factors. Few studies have examined the effects of different ground types on the jump performance of locusts. Here, mature adult locusts (Locusta migratoria manilensis) were examined using a custom-developed measuring system to test their jump performance (including postural features, kinematics, and reaction forces) on three types of ground (sand, soil, and wood). Significant differences were primarily observed in the elevation angle at take-off, the tibial angle at take-off, and the component of the mass-specific reaction force along the aft direction of the insect body between wood and the other two ground types (sand and soil). Slippage of the tarsus and insertion of the tibia were often observed when the locusts jumped on sand and soil, respectively. Nevertheless, comparisons of the different parameters of jump initiation (i.e., take-off speed and mass-specific kinetic energy) did not reveal any differences among the three types of ground, indicating that locusts were able to achieve robust jump performance on various substrates. This study provides insights into the biomechanical basis of the locust jump on different types of ground and enhances our understanding of the mechanism underlying the locust jump.

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Effect of surface roughness on attachment ability of locust Locusta migratoria manilensis

Cited by 10 publications

References 30 publications

A robotic leg inspired from an insect leg

A robotic leg inspired from an insect leg

Effect of Substrates' Compliance on the Jumping Mechanism of Locusta migratoria

The Effect of Ground Type on the Jump Performance of Adults of the Locust Locusta migratoria manilensis: A Preliminary Study

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