Self-anchoring burrowing everting robot
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsNicholas D. Naclerio, Elliot W. Hawkes
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Abstract
A self-anchoring everting robot includes a flexible body tube that accepts fluid and can be everted via pressure to provide tip growth and one or more of root hairs on the body tube that model plant roots, radial branch extensions that model plant root systems, and radial swelling that models plant root growth. Root hairs can be formed to be biased against pull out forces and have a substantial thickness compared to the main body.
Claims16
A self-anchoring everting robot comprising a flexible body tube that accepts fluid and can be everted via pressure to provide tip growth and one or more of root hairs on the body tube that model plant roots, radial branch extensions that model plant root systems, and radial swelling that models plant root growth.
A method for deploying a self-anchoring everting robot comprising a flexible body tube that accepts fluid and can be everted via pressure to provide tip growth, root hairs on the body tube that model plant roots, the method comprising steps of:
- everting into a material a plurality of body tubes or body tube portions with root hairs as shallow hairy branches at an angle to a surface of the material;
- and
- everting a plurality of additional longer body tubes or body tube portions with root hairs vertically and/or at a smaller angle into the surface of the material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.