Robotic vehicles capable of transition from aquatic to terrestrial locomotion face considerable challenges associated with propulsive efficiency and performance in each environment. Here we present a morphing amphibious robotic limb that combines the locomotor adaptations of sea turtles for swimming and tortoises for walking. The limb can transform between the streamlined morphology of a sea turtle flipper and the load-bearing geometry of a tortoise leg using a variable stiffness material coupled to a pneumatic actuator system. Herein, we describe the fabrication and characterization of the morphing limb, and quantitatively show how morphing between hydrodynamic and axial-load bearing states can enhance the locomotive performance of a single design over land and in water.

中文翻译：

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受两栖机器人适应环境变化的影响，可变刚度的变形肢体。

能够从水上运动过渡到陆上运动的机器人车辆在每种环境下都面临着与推进效率和性能相关的巨大挑战。在这里，我们介绍了一种变形的两栖机器人肢体，它结合了海龟的运动适应性和游泳乌龟的行走性。使用连接到气动执行器系统的可变刚度材料，肢体可以在海龟鳍状肢的流线型形态和乌龟腿的承重几何形状之间转换。在这里，我们描述了变形肢的制造和表征，并定量显示了流体动力状态和轴向载荷状态之间的变形如何增强单一设计在陆地和水中的机车性能。