Automatically controlled vibration-driven robots

Abstract

Mobile robots are widely utilized for various operations in environments inaccessible to a human or dangerous for him. They are utilized, for example, for inspection and repair work in nuclear power and chemical plants, operations in areas of wreckage after earthquakes or blasts, or dismantling explosive devices (S. Aoshima et al., 1993). Most of these robots move by means of wheels or caterpillars, some of them utilize walking mechanisms. Such robots, however, cannot enter narrow slots (for example, during rescue operations in a zone of wreckage) or move in dense media other than gases or liquids. This justifies looking for new concepts of motion to enable robots to move efficiently in environments inaccessible to robots with wheel, caterpillar, and walking propelling systems. This issue is especially topical for medical robots designed for the motion through rather narrow channels (e.g., in blood vessels or the intestines) or among muscles to reach an affected organ to perform a diagnostic or surgical operation