Octopus-like Reaching Motion: A Perspective Inspired by Whipping

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Zhang, Shengyao, Zhang, Yiyuan, Zhang, Chenrui, Li, Yiming, Xin, Wenci, Liufu, Yuliang, Ng, Hong Wei, Laschi, Cecilia
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Zhang, Shengyao
Zhang, Yiyuan
Zhang, Chenrui
Li, Yiming
Xin, Wenci
Liufu, Yuliang
Ng, Hong Wei
Laschi, Cecilia
author_facet Zhang, Shengyao
Zhang, Yiyuan
Zhang, Chenrui
Li, Yiming
Xin, Wenci
Liufu, Yuliang
Ng, Hong Wei
Laschi, Cecilia
contents The stereotypical reaching motion of the octopus arm has drawn growing attention for its efficient control of a highly deformable body. Previous studies suggest that its characteristic bend propagation may share underlying principles with the dynamics of a whip. This work investigates whether whip-like passive dynamics in water can reproduce the kinematic features observed in biological reaching and their similarities and differences. Platform-based whipping tests were performed in water and air while systematically varying material stiffness and driving speed. Image-based quantification revealed that the Ecoflex Gel 2 arm driven at 150 rpm (motor speed) reproduced curvature propagation similar to that observed in octopus reaching. However, its bend-point velocity decreased monotonically rather than exhibiting the biological bell-shaped profile, confirming that the octopus reaching movement is not merely a passive whipping behavior. The absence of propagation in air further highlights the critical role of the surrounding medium in forming octopus-like reaching motion. This study provides a new perspective for understand biological reaching movement, and offers a potential platform for future hydrodynamic research.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_25520
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Octopus-like Reaching Motion: A Perspective Inspired by Whipping
Zhang, Shengyao
Zhang, Yiyuan
Zhang, Chenrui
Li, Yiming
Xin, Wenci
Liufu, Yuliang
Ng, Hong Wei
Laschi, Cecilia
Robotics
Biological Physics
The stereotypical reaching motion of the octopus arm has drawn growing attention for its efficient control of a highly deformable body. Previous studies suggest that its characteristic bend propagation may share underlying principles with the dynamics of a whip. This work investigates whether whip-like passive dynamics in water can reproduce the kinematic features observed in biological reaching and their similarities and differences. Platform-based whipping tests were performed in water and air while systematically varying material stiffness and driving speed. Image-based quantification revealed that the Ecoflex Gel 2 arm driven at 150 rpm (motor speed) reproduced curvature propagation similar to that observed in octopus reaching. However, its bend-point velocity decreased monotonically rather than exhibiting the biological bell-shaped profile, confirming that the octopus reaching movement is not merely a passive whipping behavior. The absence of propagation in air further highlights the critical role of the surrounding medium in forming octopus-like reaching motion. This study provides a new perspective for understand biological reaching movement, and offers a potential platform for future hydrodynamic research.
title Octopus-like Reaching Motion: A Perspective Inspired by Whipping
topic Robotics
Biological Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.25520