Harnessing Discrete Differential Geometry: A Virtual Playground for the Bilayer Soft Robots

Abstract

Soft robots have garnered significant attention due to their promising applications across various domains. A hallmark of these systems is their bilayer structure, where strain mismatch caused by differential expansion between layers induces complex deformations. Despite progress in theoretical modeling and numerical simulation, accurately capturing their dynamic behavior, especially during environmental interactions, remains challenging. This study presents a novel simulation environment based on the discrete elastic rod (DER) model to address the challenge. By leveraging discrete differential geometry, the DER approach offers superior convergence compared to conventional methods like finite element method, particularly in handling contact interactions—an essential aspect of soft robot dynamics in real-world scenarios. The simulation framework incorporates key features of bilayer structures, including stretching, bending, twisting, and interlayer coupling. This enables the exploration of a wide range of dynamic behaviors for bilayer soft robots, such as gripping, crawling, jumping, and swimming. The insights gained from this work provide a robust foundation for the design and control of advanced bilayer soft robotic systems.