The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 22, 2026
Filed:
May. 13, 2024
The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (US);
Aishwarya Pantula, Baltimore, MD (US);
Siming Deng, Baltimore, MD (US);
Noah J. Cowan, Baltimore, MD (US);
Thao D. Nguyen, Baltimore, MD (US);
Jiayu Liu, Baltimore, MD (US);
Bibekananda Datta, Baltimore, MD (US);
David H. Gracias, Baltimore, MD (US);
The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (US);
Abstract
A multisegmented robot includes a first robot segment comprising a first layer of active material at least one of integral with, attached to or formed on a first layer of passive material; a second robot segment spaced apart from the first robot segment, the second robot segment including a second layer of active material at least one of integral with, attached to or formed on a second layer of passive material; and a tether connecting the first and second robot segments. The first and second layers of active material are each cyclically swellable and deswellable in response to a corresponding cyclically changing local environmental stimulus thereby causing each of the first and second segments to cyclically change shape, the first layer of passive material has a surface arranged such that at least a portion thereof contacts a surface over which the robot may crawl during the cyclically changing the local environmental stimulus, the second layer of passive material has a surface arranged such that at least a portion thereof contacts the surface over which the robot may crawl during the cyclically changing the local environmental stimulus, and the second robot segment has a greater frictional resistance to movement over a period of the cyclically changing local environmental stimulus than a frictional resistance to movement of the first robot segment over the period of the cyclically changing local environmental stimulus resulting in translational motion of the robot along a direction from the first robot segment to the second robot segment.