Analysis of worm-like locomotion

Abstract

Nature is a storehouse of great ideas, which are mostly so well planned, that engineers can apply them directly via examining, understanding and imitating the natural working principles. Snakes and worms can be found in almost every region of our planet. Their success is mainly based on the simple construction of their body and their robust locomotion technique. Snakes and worms move their body periodically, to generate propulsive force and get forward, using the interaction with the surrounding environment. The aim of this work is the analysis of a particular worm-like locomotion technique through numerical simulations. The worm is modeled by a multibody system containing lumped masses constrained to each other by ideal rigid rods. The periodic motion of the worm body is achieved via the use of an artificial muscle-like actuator system. The results and experiences can be exploited in future work when a worm-like robot will be built for exploration and rescue purposes.