Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• A tunable initial coiling structure soft robot (ICSBot) has been developed by combining theoretical calculations, finite element analysis, and direct ink writing technology. • By mimicking the prey-handling behavior of snakes, ICSBot functions as a coiling gripper, capable of dynamic uncoiling, object grasping, and controlled release. • By simulating the multimodal movement of snakes, ICSBot demonstrated sidewinding locomotion to navigate unstructured environments, accordion locomotion to navigate narrow tubes, and winding climbing locomotion to traverse tubular structures under near-infrared light radiation. • The study provides a novel strategy for designing and fabricating coiling-structured soft robots, highlighting their potential in smart and multifunctional robotics.
Abstract
Currently, numerous biomimetic robots inspired by natural biological systems have been developed. However, creating soft robots with versatile locomotion modes remains a significant challenge. Snakes, as invertebrate reptiles, exhibit diverse and powerful locomotion abilities, including prey constriction, sidewinding, accordion locomotion, and winding climbing, making them a focus of robotics research. In this study, we present a snake-inspired soft robot with an initial coiling structure, fabricated using MXene-cellulose nanofiber ink printed on pre-expanded polyethylene film through direct ink writing technology. The controllable fabrication of initial coiling structure soft robot (ICSBot) has been achieved through theoretical calculations and finite element analysis to predict and analyze the initial structure of ICSBot, and programmable ICSBot has been designed and fabricated. This robot functions as a coiling gripper capable of grasping objects with complex shapes under near infrared light stimulation. Additionally, it demonstrates multi-modal crawling locomotion in various environments, including confined spaces, unstructured terrains, and both inside and outside tubes. These results offer a novel strategy for designing and fabricating coiling-structured soft robots and highlight their potential applications in smart and multifunctional robotics.
1. Introduction
Soft robots have drawn extensive inspiration from biological systems in nature, leveraging the diverse locomotion modes of various organisms [1, 2]. By mimicking these biological movements, numerous untethered soft robots have been developed to perform tasks in different environments, including insect larva-inspired jumping robots [3], monkey-inspired climbing robots [4], centipede-inspired multi-sensing crawling robots [5], and inchworm-inspired crawling robots [6]. Despite these advancements, existing biomimetic soft robots face significant limitations, such as restricted mobility, simple application scenarios, and reliance on single locomotion modes. This emphasizes the necessity of exploring biomimetic soft robots with enhanced mobility and broader applicability.
Among biological systems, snakes represent a particularly compelling source of inspiration due to their evolutionarily refined multimodal locomotion. Snakes demonstrate a range of adaptive movement strategies depending on environmental conditions [7, 8]. As shown in Fig. 1, the snake wraps itself around its prey, continuously applying pressure until the prey loses its ability to move. In addition, snakes can move quickly on the ground through sidewinding locomotion. This locomotion greatly increases the friction between the abdomen of the snake and the ground, ensuring smooth locomotion of the snake in unstructured environments. When snakes are in narrow caves, they move through accordion locomotion, which is achieved by first anchoring the posterior body of the snake to the substrate, then extending the body until a new anchoring point is established in the anterior body, and finally contracting the body to move towards the anterior body. In arboreal settings, winding climbing locomotion allows snakes to ascend by alternately wrapping and unwrapping their body around branches. These unique multimodal locomotion strategies and prey-handling behaviors provide valuable insights for designing soft robots capable of navigating complex, unstructured environments.
In recent years, biomimetic robots with snake-like locomotion have been widely studied [9, 10]. For instance, inspired by the rectilinear locomotion of snakes, a soft robot with an origami skin structure was designed, which can crawl through directional friction caused by surface buckling [11]. Inspired by the winding climbing locomotion of snakes, a climbing robot consisting of two winding mechanisms and one telescopic mechanism was designed, which can qu...
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He Chen, Zhong Chen, Zonglin Liu, Jinhua Xiong, Qian Yan, Teng Fei, Xu Zhao, Fuhua Xue, Haowen Zheng, Huanxin Lian, Yunxiang Chen, Liangliang Xu, Qingyu Peng, Xiaodong He (2025). From Coils to Crawls: A Snake-Inspired Soft Robot for Multimodal Locomotion and Grasping. Nano-Micro Letters. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01762-9
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main innovation of this snake-inspired soft robot?
The main innovation is the development of a tunable initial coiling structure soft robot (ICSBot) that mimics snake behaviors, enabling multimodal locomotion (sidewinding, accordion, and winding climbing) and grasping capabilities under near-infrared light stimulation.
How is the ICSBot fabricated?
The ICSBot is fabricated using MXene-cellulose nanofiber ink printed on pre-expanded polyethylene film through direct ink writing technology, with theoretical calculations and finite element analysis to predict and control the initial coiling structure.
What locomotion modes can the ICSBot perform?
The ICSBot can perform sidewinding locomotion on unstructured terrains, accordion locomotion in narrow tubes, and winding climbing locomotion to traverse tubular structures, all under near-infrared light radiation.
What are the potential applications of this soft robot?
The robot has potential applications in smart and multifunctional robotics, including grasping objects with complex shapes, navigating confined spaces, and operating in unstructured environments, which could be useful in search-and-rescue, inspection, and biomedical fields.
What materials are used in the robot's fabrication?
The robot uses MXene-cellulose nanofiber ink and pre-expanded polyethylene film, which are printed via direct ink writing technology to achieve the desired coiling structure.
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