The inchworm robot: A multi-functional system

We wish for robots to manipulate objects and move flexibly in three-dimensi onal spaces. We describe a robot that can move on a web of surfaces oriente d around arbitrary directions in three-space and a set of control algorithm s that implements motion in three-dimensions. The robot can manipulate obje cts in three dimensions while moving, by using the same set of physical res ources and control algorithms. This robot is an inchworm-like robot with a simple, modular, and flexible design. Finally, we discuss our experiments.