Deformable Archimedes Drive

A robot designed as a proof of concept for steering an screw driven robot using deformation

Inspection and exploration of unstructured environments requires robots capable of traversing diverse terrains while maintaining flexibility to navigate narrow passages. Archimedes Screw Drive (A.S.D.) robots demonstrate strong multi-terrain capability but they are inherently limited by their rigid structure, restrictinv their ability to maneuver through confined spaces. Conversly, continuum robots are highly flexible, but they lack the multi-terrain capability of an A.S.D. This paper introduces the Deformable Archimedes Screw (D.A.S.), a flexible 3D-printed archimedes screw that combines the flexiblity of a continuum robots with a A.S.D. To validate the functionality of the D.A.S. we developed the Deformable Archimedes Drive (D.A.D.), a robot with two parallel cable actuated D.A.S. which for propulsion and steering. Experimental results on turf demonstrate an average forward velocity of 0.400 m/s and an average lateral velocity of 1.268 m/s, with performance largely independent of screw length. By actively deforming the structure, the D.A.D. achieves a minimum turning diameter of 1.65 m. These results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating continuum deformation into Archimedes screw propulsion, establishing a foundation for future robots capable of robust, compliant navigation in complex, confined, and multi-terrain environments.