With the advent of soft robotics the research community has been exploring how to exploit the inherent adaptability of soft elastic materials to overcome the limitations of systems based on rigid materials. A proof-of-concept design of a crawling robot for pipe inspection and preliminary analysis of its locomotion capabilities are presented in this work. The novelty of the proposed design is the combination of silicone based elements of different stiffness to enable global shape reconfiguration and whole-body track-based locomotion. The proposed system makes use of a plurality of multi-materials elastic tracks actuated by an on-board motor through a worm gear that pairs with all of them, causing their constant eversion from the inside to the outside of the chassis of the robot. Two toroidal inflatable chambers surround the chassis of the robot while passing through the loops created by the tracks. Upon inflation of the chambers the tracks are deformed, changing the overall diameter of the system. This feature allows the system to adjust to the local diameter of the pipe navigated, enabling also active contact force control between the tracks and the pipe walls. We demonstrate how the proposed system efficiently moves through rigid pipes of different diameters, both straight and curved, incrementing its outer diameter up to 100% of his original size. Maximum navigation speed and stall force applied are evaluated. With two front cameras embedded, the proposed robotic system can represent a cost-effective and easy-to-control solution for inspection applications, when adaptability and compliance are critical requirements.

翻译：随着软机器人的出现,研究界一直在探索如何利用软弹性材料的内在适应性,以克服基于硬质材料的系统限制。在这项工作中展示了为管道检查和对其运动能力进行初步分析而爬动机器人的测试概念设计。拟议设计的新颖之处是,以硅酮为基础的不同硬度元素的结合,使全球形状重新配置和整个机体轨道移动成为可能。拟议的系统使用多种多材料弹性轨道,由机上马达通过蠕虫发动机激活,与所有软弹性材料配对,导致它们从内到机器人底部的常态检查和初步分析。两个不固定的室在绕过轨道所创造的回路时围绕机器人的底部。随着机组的通货膨胀变形,轨道的总体直径将改变系统的总体直径。这一功能使系统能够适应管道导航的当地直径直径,同时能够在轨和管墙壁墙壁之间进行主动的触控力控制,导致它们从内一直从内一直到机器人底部。我们展示其直径直径的直径系统是如何通过直径直到直径的直径直径的直径直到直径的直径的直径,我们能够评估。