A Symmetrical Leech-Inspired Soft Crawling Robot Based on Gesture Control
This paper presents a novel soft crawling robot controlled by gesture recognition, aimed at enhancing the operability and adaptability of soft robots through natural human–computer interactions. The Leap Motion sensor is employed to capture hand gesture data, and Unreal Engine is used for gesture re...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Biomimetics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/1/35 |
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| _version_ | 1832588980034469888 |
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| author | Jiabiao Li Ruiheng Liu Tianyu Zhang Jianbin Liu |
| author_facet | Jiabiao Li Ruiheng Liu Tianyu Zhang Jianbin Liu |
| author_sort | Jiabiao Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper presents a novel soft crawling robot controlled by gesture recognition, aimed at enhancing the operability and adaptability of soft robots through natural human–computer interactions. The Leap Motion sensor is employed to capture hand gesture data, and Unreal Engine is used for gesture recognition. Using the UE4Duino, gesture semantics are transmitted to an Arduino control system, enabling direct control over the robot’s movements. For accurate and real-time gesture recognition, we propose a threshold-based method for static gestures and a backpropagation (BP) neural network model for dynamic gestures. In terms of design, the robot utilizes cost-effective thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) film as the primary pneumatic actuator material. Through a positive and negative pressure switching circuit, the robot’s actuators achieve controllable extension and contraction, allowing for basic movements such as linear motion and directional changes. Experimental results demonstrate that the robot can successfully perform diverse motions under gesture control, highlighting the potential of gesture-based interaction in soft robotics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-70b48e40f41945f8962f9d44161af435 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2313-7673 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomimetics |
| spelling | doaj-art-70b48e40f41945f8962f9d44161af4352025-01-24T13:24:40ZengMDPI AGBiomimetics2313-76732025-01-011013510.3390/biomimetics10010035A Symmetrical Leech-Inspired Soft Crawling Robot Based on Gesture ControlJiabiao Li0Ruiheng Liu1Tianyu Zhang2Jianbin Liu3Key Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaKey Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaKey Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaKey Laboratory of Mechanism Theory and Equipment Design, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaThis paper presents a novel soft crawling robot controlled by gesture recognition, aimed at enhancing the operability and adaptability of soft robots through natural human–computer interactions. The Leap Motion sensor is employed to capture hand gesture data, and Unreal Engine is used for gesture recognition. Using the UE4Duino, gesture semantics are transmitted to an Arduino control system, enabling direct control over the robot’s movements. For accurate and real-time gesture recognition, we propose a threshold-based method for static gestures and a backpropagation (BP) neural network model for dynamic gestures. In terms of design, the robot utilizes cost-effective thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) film as the primary pneumatic actuator material. Through a positive and negative pressure switching circuit, the robot’s actuators achieve controllable extension and contraction, allowing for basic movements such as linear motion and directional changes. Experimental results demonstrate that the robot can successfully perform diverse motions under gesture control, highlighting the potential of gesture-based interaction in soft robotics.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/1/35Leap Motiongesture recognitionTPUsoft robotBP neural network |
| spellingShingle | Jiabiao Li Ruiheng Liu Tianyu Zhang Jianbin Liu A Symmetrical Leech-Inspired Soft Crawling Robot Based on Gesture Control Biomimetics Leap Motion gesture recognition TPU soft robot BP neural network |
| title | A Symmetrical Leech-Inspired Soft Crawling Robot Based on Gesture Control |
| title_full | A Symmetrical Leech-Inspired Soft Crawling Robot Based on Gesture Control |
| title_fullStr | A Symmetrical Leech-Inspired Soft Crawling Robot Based on Gesture Control |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Symmetrical Leech-Inspired Soft Crawling Robot Based on Gesture Control |
| title_short | A Symmetrical Leech-Inspired Soft Crawling Robot Based on Gesture Control |
| title_sort | symmetrical leech inspired soft crawling robot based on gesture control |
| topic | Leap Motion gesture recognition TPU soft robot BP neural network |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/1/35 |
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