This paper focuses on how to make a growing Vine robot steer in different directions with a novel approach to real-time steering control by autonomously applying adhesive tape to induce a surface wrinkles. This enabling real-time directional control with arbitrary many turns while maintaining the robot's soft structure. This system feeds growing material external to the tube. The design achieves fixed-angle turns in 2D space. Through experimental validation, we demonstrate repeated 21-degree turns using a Dubins path planner with minimal error, establishing a foundation for more versatile Vine robot applications. This approach combines real-time control, multi-degree-of-freedom steering, and structural flexibility, addressing key challenges in soft robotics.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2505.00969,
title = {Real-time Two-tape Control System in Vine robots},
author = {Hanmo Liu and Kayleen Smith and Zimu Yang and Mark Yim},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2505.00969},
year = {2025}
}