Experimental Assessment of the Performance of the Snake Robot

A snake robot is a bio-inspired robotic system that mimics the form and motion of a snake. The present research presents pressure-bending angle and the pressure-applied force relationships for three metamaterial-based pneumatic robot actuator models of different sizes, designed in SolidWorks and manufactured using a 3D printer. The practical results showed a direct proportionality between chamber size and bending angle. At the same time, it was noted that there is an inverse relationship between chamber size and the applied force when the pressure is held constant, as a basic design criterion. The experimental results also showed a linear direct proportionality between the pressure and the bending angle and a non-linear direct proportionality between the pressure and the applied force. The bending angle of the system with a large chamber was large, whereas that of the snake robot with a small chamber was small.