Realization of rolling locomotion by a wheel-spider-inspired hexapod robot

Abstract

This study aims to realize rolling locomotion by a multi-legged robot inspired by "wheel spider" in nature. A novel robot mechanism and a strategy for rolling locomotion is proposed in this paper based on motion analysis of wheel spider species in nature. We also present details of a model of a wheel-spider-inspired hexapod robot and design of its controller in realizing rolling locomotion. Results of numerical simulations validated the efficacy of the proposed approach in synthesizing rolling locomotion in a wheel-spider-inspired hexapod robot. Keywords:Biologically inspired robot; Multi-legged robot; Wheel spider; Rolling locomotion; Modeling; Simulation BackgroundRolling locomotion which has high mobility has been applied many times to mobile robots. Spherical robots are an example of mobile robots performing rolling locomotion. Spherical robots operate in hostile industrial environment, other planets or a human place like office or home. Spherical robots have been expected to obtain environmental data with sensors, gather and convey an object with an arm installed inside a spherical body in those environments [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. However, it is considered that these environments have obstacles or difference in level that interrupt rolling locomotion. In this case, robots should apply other locomotion. This paper focuses on creatures found in nature that can perform rolling locomotion and other locomotion. Spiders called "wheel spider (carparachne aureoflava)" which can perform rolling locomotion is one of the creatures in nature. The wheel spiders can reconfigure its body structures as wheels by fixing its legs into constant positions and perform rolling locomotion on its side on a slope [8].This paper aims to realize rolling locomotion by a wheel-spider-inspired multi-legged robot on the flat ground.Biologically inspired robots have been studied in literatures, e.g., [9][10][11]. Especially, biologically inspiredrolling *Correspondence: nemoto@ctrl.fr.dendai.ac.jp 1 Tokyo Denki University, 5 Senjuasahi-Cho, Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan Full list of author information is available at the end of the article locomotion has been discussed in literatures, e.g., [12,13]. Lin has focused on caterpillars that can escape rapidly from predators by reconfiguring their body structures like wheels. Caterpillar-inspired soft robots have been developed and attempted rolling locomotion [12]. King has focused on rolling locomotion repeating somersault performed by a spider called "huntsman spider (cebrennus villosus)". A quadruped robot which can somersault has been developed based on an image analysis of its rolling locomotion. The quadruped robot has performed rolling locomotion [13].In those studies, although behavior of the creatures is analyzed by images, biologically inspired mathematical models are not developed. In this paper, a biologically inspired mathematical model of the wheel spiders is developed and rolling locomotion is analyzed through simulations. The model captures characteristics of rolling locomoti...

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