The largest roadblock the team has had so far was determining the actuation method that goes into the soft-body shell of the robot. After looking at several actuation methods, like magnetic or memory-alloy, the team settled on Piezoelectric material. With an applied current, the material deforms (shrinks and expands) which can contract the individual robot links, which will act as the earthworm-like movement.
The team also did an in depth technical analysis. This analysis included the forces of/on the robot in the vein, as well as the necessary forces included in looking at the piezoelectric material. An analysis was also done in relating the fluid against the robot in the vein to an outside simulation with water.
-11/5/2024
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