A Hybrid Combining Hard and Soft Robots

This article describes a hybrid robotic system combining hard and soft subsystems. This hybrid comprises a wheeled robot (an iRobot Create; hard) and a four-legged quadruped (soft). It is capable (using a simple, wireless control system) of rapid locomotion over flat terrain (using the wheeled hard robot) and of gripping and retrieving an object (using the independent locomotive capabilities of the soft robot). The utility of this system is demonstrated by performing a mission requiring the capabilities of both components: retrieving an object (iPod Nano) from the center of a room. This class of robot—hybrids comprising hard and soft systems functioning synergistically—is capable of performing tasks that neither can do alone. In contrast to specialized hard robotic arms with grippers (capable of performing some of the functions we describe here), which are complex, relatively expensive, and require sophisticated controls, this hybrid system is easy to construct, simple to control, and low in cost. The soft robotic system in the hybrid is lightweight, disposable if contaminated or damaged, and capable of multiple functions.