Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Somersaulting motion of soft bodied structure
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Application No.: US16170978Application Date: 2018-10-25
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Publication No.: US11081975B2Publication Date: 2021-08-03
- Inventor: Umesh N. Gandhi , Danil V. Prokhorov , Michael Paul Rowe , Ryohei Tsuruta
- Applicant: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
- Applicant Address: US TX Plano
- Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
- Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
- Current Assignee Address: US TX Plano
- Agency: Darrow Mustafa PC
- Agent Christopher G. Darrow
- Main IPC: H02N1/00
- IPC: H02N1/00 ; F15B21/06 ; F15B15/08 ; B25J9/06 ; B25J18/06

Abstract:
The soft bodied structures and systems for controlling such devices are described herein. The soft bodied structures can, through a series of soft hydraulic actuators, move from a first position to a second position by a somersaulting motion. The system can include connecting to a first contact point of the surface using a surface attachment. The rigidity of the controllably resistive material can then be increased. The medial hydraulic actuators can be actuated to expand the exterior medial surface, creating a bend. The device can then attach to a second contact point using the surface attachment and the end portion actuator of the unattached end portion. Then, the surface attachment of the first attached end portion can detach. The medial hydraulic actuators and the controllably resistive material can then relax, followed by detaching the surface attachment of the second attached end portion.
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