Remora-Inspired Sensing Suction Cup with Adhesion Monitoring and Force Detection

Perching robots offer an effective solution to the energy limitations of small robots during long-duration missions. However, without integrated sensing capabilities, they are prone to failure in complex environments. This study presents a remora-inspired sensing suction cup to enhance adhesion reliability for robots in complex aerial–aquatic conditions. Mimicking remora fish, the design incorporates liquid metal microchannel sensors arranged at 90° intervals to monitor lip deformation, enabling real-time assessment of adhesion state and force distribution. The optimized suction cup morphology improves deformation sensitivity, while the integrated sensor system operates effectively in both aquatic and aerial environments. Performance tests demonstrate that the sensors exhibit nonlinear but repeatable responses, with 2° bending resolution and stable operation over 1,000 cycles despite minor hysteresis. Experimental results confirm that the four-directional sensor array can reflect adhesion status and horizontal force detection, validating the design's feasibility. When deployed on an aerial–aquatic robot, the system successfully enables real-time leakage detection, lateral disturbance detection, and environmental tactile sensing. This bioinspired approach enhances the environmental adaptability and operational reliability of robots, offering a robust solution for maintaining attachment in complex conditions and significantly enhances the applicability of such systems in robotic applications.