Towards Gradient-Based Actuationof Magnetic Soft Robots Using a Six-Coil Electromagnetic System

In recent years, the use of soft materials within robotic devices has gained widespread traction due to their beneficial structural properties such as flexibility and resilience [1]. In contrast to rigid-body robots, soft robots conform to their environment, making them suitable for specific tasks such as maneuvering in tight and unstructured spaces, and grasping delicate objects [2]. Soft robotic systems are generally under-actuated (due to the flexibility in the material) with low-level primitives (e.g., motion gaits, grasping poses) built into the structure, while control is achieved using a few high-level actuation inputs (e.g., pneumatic, electric) [3], [4]. However, in order to use soft robots reliably for real-world applications, there is a need to develop actuation and control techniques that accentuate the structural benefits while stabilizing the low-level primitives; for instance, anchoring locomoting robots to a working surface in order to overcome gravity or other environmental conditions.