Biological organisms often have remarkable multifunctionality through intricate structures, such as concurrent shape morphing and stiffness variation in the octopus. Soft robots, which are inspired by natural creatures, usually require the integration of separate modules to achieve these various functions. As a result, the whole structure is cumbersome, and the control system is complex, often involving multiple control loops to finish a required task. Here, inspired by the scales that cover creatures like pangolins and fish, we developed a robotic structure that can vary its stiffness and change shape simultaneously in a highly integrated, compact body. The scale-inspired layered structure (SAILS) was enabled by the inversely designed programmable surface patterns of the scales. After fabrication, SAILS was inherently soft and flexible. When sealed in an elastic envelope and subjected to negative confining pressure, it transitioned to its designated shape and concurrently became stiff. SAILS could be actuated at frequencies as high as 5 hertz and achieved an apparent bending modulus change of up to 53 times between its soft and stiff states. We further demonstrated both the versatility of SAILS by developing a soft robot that is amphibious and adaptive and tunable landing systems for drones with the capacity to accommodate different loads.

中文翻译：

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具有并发形状变形和刚度变化的规模启发可编程机器人结构


生物有机体通常通过复杂的结构而具有显着的多功能性，例如章鱼的同时形状变形和刚度变化。受自然生物启发的软机器人通常需要集成单独的模块来实现这些不同的功能。因此，整个结构笨重，控制系统复杂，往往需要多个控制回路才能完成所需的任务。在这里，受到穿山甲和鱼类等生物鳞片的启发，我们开发了一种机器人结构，可以在高度集成、紧凑的身体中同时改变其刚度和形状。受鳞片启发的分层结构（SAILS）是通过鳞片的逆向设计的可编程表面图案实现的。制造完成后，SAILS 本质上是柔软且有弹性的。当密封在弹性封套中并受到负围压时，它会转变为指定的形状，同时变得坚硬。 SAILS 可以以高达 5 赫兹的频率驱动，并在软状态和硬状态之间实现高达 53 倍的表观弯曲模量变化。我们通过开发一种两栖软机器人以及自适应可调无人机着陆系统，能够适应不同的负载，进一步证明了 SAILS 的多功能性。