Biomimetic Locomotion of a Hexapod Robot
Disciplines
Acoustics, Dynamics, and Controls | Biomechanical Engineering
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Hexapod robots have been studied extensively for practical applications in surveillance, rescue, and exploration due to their static stability and adaptability. However, these applications are constrained by the potential failure of damaged legs. Previous methods included adapting the gaiting pattern through optimization, but the resulting efficiencies are variable. Meanwhile, animals can adapt to these shortcomings. Through the use of a previously developed imaging system, the Transparent Omnidirectional Locomotion Compensator (TOLC), the leg positions of an ant, whose motion has been adapted to five-leg perambulation, can be extracted. The TOLC presents an infinite walking plane that records the leg positions through a deep-learning-based image processing algorithm. The positions are implemented into the hexapod robot via motor angles calculated through inverse kinematics, allowing for biomimetic motion that will provide the robot with adaptability during operation even when faced with leg failure. This research can be extended further to the effective gaiting of arm-leg manipulators and swarm control for laborious tasks.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
SPCEET - Mechanical Engineering
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Dal Hyung Kim
Biomimetic Locomotion of a Hexapod Robot
Hexapod robots have been studied extensively for practical applications in surveillance, rescue, and exploration due to their static stability and adaptability. However, these applications are constrained by the potential failure of damaged legs. Previous methods included adapting the gaiting pattern through optimization, but the resulting efficiencies are variable. Meanwhile, animals can adapt to these shortcomings. Through the use of a previously developed imaging system, the Transparent Omnidirectional Locomotion Compensator (TOLC), the leg positions of an ant, whose motion has been adapted to five-leg perambulation, can be extracted. The TOLC presents an infinite walking plane that records the leg positions through a deep-learning-based image processing algorithm. The positions are implemented into the hexapod robot via motor angles calculated through inverse kinematics, allowing for biomimetic motion that will provide the robot with adaptability during operation even when faced with leg failure. This research can be extended further to the effective gaiting of arm-leg manipulators and swarm control for laborious tasks.