A metamorphic robot suitable for rigid miniature pipelines
JIA Xiaoli
DAI Jingting
MI Baichuan
DAN Jiale
KE Liaoliang
Abstract：[Objective]To address the limited adaptability of traditional pipeline robots in complex working environ-ments,a design proposal for a shape memory alloy(SMA)driven peristaltic metamorphic robot suitable for rigid miniature pipelines was presented.[Methods]An SMA-driven anchoring and telescopic structure was designed.Dynamic simulations and analysis of the robot's peristaltic movement and turning processes were performed using Adams software,followed by the prototype construction and motion experiments for verification.[Results]Through the simulations,curves of joint driving torque over time,as well as velocity and displacement curves verify the stability of the robot's motion.Tests demonstrate that the prototype can move stably in"L"-shaped and three-way junction pipelines with 22 mm diameter.The results prove that the metamorphic robot can achieve the peristaltic movement through the coordination of anchoring and telescopic structures,realize the active turning through metamorphosis,and demonstrate the excellent pipeline traversing capability.
Keywords：Miniature pipelinePipeline robotMetamorphic mechanismAdams software
Publication Date：2025-03-14
Online Publishing Date：2026-09-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：9( 125-133 )