用超声波主动调控摩擦，让机器人自由抓握或滑行。
Grip as Needed, Glide on Demand: Ultrasonic Lubrication for Robotic Locomotion
- 通过超声振动使接触面在抓握与滑动间动态切换。
- 两种设计均实现90%以上效率的双向运动。
- 适用于各种表面，尤其适合复杂环境中的机器人移动。
摩擦是陆地运动的关键媒介，但在机器人系统中通常被视为由材料和条件决定的被动属性。本文提出超声润滑法，主动调控机器人运动中的摩擦。通过在超声频率下激发共振结构，接触界面可动态切换至‘抓握’或‘滑动’状态，从而实现运动。我们开发了两种摩擦控制模块：用于腔道环境的圆柱形设计，以及用于外表面的平板形设计，并将其集成到仿蚯蚓和黄蜂产卵器的生物启发系统中。两种系统均实现了超过90%的运动效率，且具备双向运动能力。摩擦特性实验表明，该方法在刚性、柔软、颗粒状及生物组织等各类界面，无论干湿状态或粗糙度差异，均能显著降低摩擦，验证了其广泛适用性。这些发现确立了超声润滑作为机器人运动中可行的主动摩擦调控机制，有望简化设计并提升运动效率。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Friction is the essential mediator of terrestrial locomotion, yet in robotic systems it is almost always treated as a passive property fixed by surface materials and conditions. Here, we introduce ultrasonic lubrication as a method to actively control friction in robotic locomotion. By exciting resonant structures at ultrasonic frequencies, contact interfaces can dynamically switch between "grip" and "slip" states, enabling locomotion. We developed two friction control modules, a cylindrical design for lumen-like environments and a flat-plate design for external surfaces, and integrated them into bio-inspired systems modeled after inchworm and wasp ovipositor locomotion. Both systems achieved bidirectional locomotion with nearly perfect locomotion efficiencies that exceeded 90%. Friction characterization experiments further demonstrated substantial friction reduction across various surfaces, including rigid, soft, granular, and biological tissue interfaces, under dry and wet conditions, and on surfaces with different levels of roughness, confirming the broad applicability of ultrasonic lubrication to locomotion tasks. These findings establish ultrasonic lubrication as a viable active friction control mechanism for robotic locomotion, with the potential to reduce design complexity and improve efficiency of robotic locomotion systems.
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