Development of Biomimetic Mole-Bot and Directional Drilling Mechanism

Abstract

Drilling technology has been used in various fields. In recent years, studies have been conducted for extreme areas and space exploration. In addition, technology is being developed for the exploration and mining of new energy resources. Because of the large size and the complicated processes of the existing drilling systems, many limitations and environmental problems exist. In recent years, bio-inspired or bio-mimetic robots that simulate the movement or habitats of living things have been developed actively for efficient operation. This paper proposes an embedded directional drilling robot (Mole-bot) that mimics the biological structure and excavation habits of the mole. The proposed system includes digging, moving, direction changing, locking, and debris removal mechanisms. In conclusion, performance evaluation of the excavation mechanism and direction changing mechanism of the developed robot were carried out.