서울대학교 공과대학 기계공학부 조규진 교수 연구팀이 부드러운 재료로 이루어진 소프트 로봇 몸체가 빠르고 강한 동작을 구현하는 ‘초탄성 토크 역전 매커니즘(Hyperelastic Torque Reversal Mechanism, HeTRM)’을 개발했다.
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▲(From left) Professor Cho Kyu-jin of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Seoul National University (corresponding author), Researcher Choi Woo-young of Naver Labs (co-lead author), Researcher Kim Woong-bae of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (co-lead author)
Overcoming the speed and strength limitations of existing soft robots
A soft robot that can exert strong force from a soft body has been developed to overcome the speed and strength limitations of existing soft robots, and it is expected that various applications will be realized in the future.
A research team led by Professor Kyu-Jin Cho of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Seoul National University College of Engineering has developed a 'Hyperelastic Torque Reversal Mechanism (HeTRM)' that enables a soft robot body made of soft materials to perform fast and strong movements.
This study applied the principles of movement of crabs and fleas, and was inspired by the ability of crabs to punch at about 90 km/h when crushing hard prey, and the ability of fleas to jump more than 200 times their body length.
Professor Cho Kyu-jin explained, “The secret to how soft-bodied creatures can exert strong force in an instant is the torque reversal mechanism that allows the muscles to instantly switch the direction of the rotational force applied to the arms or legs.” He continued, “This research is very significant in that it has achieved powerful athletic performance with a material as soft as rubber.”
The research team discovered a superelastic torque reversal mechanism from the characteristic that elastomers become rapidly harder as they are condensed.I discovered the core principles of Zm.
The characteristic of superelastic materials, which release stored energy instantaneously when one part of a soft joint is intensively compressed, has been developed into soft robotics technology.
Even with a simple structure that connects a pair of motors and tendons to a flexible joint, the flexible joint can be moved quickly and repeatedly with strong force.
This study does not simply provide theoretical results, but also suggests various application possibilities.
For example, there are soft grippers that can catch falling ping-pong balls in an instant, robots that crawl with powerful propulsion even on rough terrain like sand, and robots that can wrap and grasp objects like octopus legs. They have also implemented mechanical fuses that automatically cut off contact when the structure receives unintended strong force.
Co-authors Wooyoung Choi and Woongbae Kim evaluated the study by saying, “This study suggests new possibilities for soft robotics technology by implementing rapid movements using material properties instead of structural design.”
Professor Cho Kyu-jin expressed his expectations, saying, “The mechanism developed this time will expand the scope of design and utilization of soft robots to a new level.”
Meanwhile, this study was published on January 29 in the renowned academic journal in the field of robotics, ‘Science Robotics.’

▲Example 1 of HeTRM usage: Energy can be stored in flexible joints and can be wrapped around objects in an instant, like an octopus.