ArticleScientific reports2026
Unsegmented marine annelids as biomechanical models for soft robotics.
Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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12 authors.
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Abstract
This work investigates marine worms as a source of bioinspiration for soft robotics, focusing on Phascolosoma stephensoni (Annelida), an unsegmented sipunculan species with a fully eversible introvert capable of remarkable elongations. High-resolution micro-computed tomography was used to resolve the internal musculoskeletal architecture across functional configurations. Morphometric analyses of live specimens revealed strong differentiation between body regions: trunk length remains nearly constant during motion (7.26 ± 3.40 mm retracted vs. 7.70 ± 3.47 mm extended), whereas total body length more than doubles (from 8.87 ± 4.30 mm to 18.75 ± 7.35 mm), driven by introvert eversion at the tip. Tensile tests further highlighted distinct mechanical properties, with the trunk sustaining substantially higher strains before failure (≈ 90–110%) compared to the introvert (≈ 60–65%). Peristaltic locomotion was investigated using a mathematical model reproducing wave-like propulsion in unsegmented bodies at characteristic speeds of 0.5–5 mm s⁻¹ in confined media and showing close agreement with experimental observations. As an exemplary translation of these mechanisms, a soft robotic architecture based on magneto-responsive silicone was developed enabling stimulus-driven protrusions up to 2.5 times the initial length. Overall, this study provides a biologically grounded framework for innovative soft robotic systems inspired by unsegmented worms.
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