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A template candidate for miniature legged robots in quasi-static motion

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Abstract

The paper introduces the Switching Four-bar Mechanism (sfm), a new low-dimensional kinematic abstraction for miniature legged robots, aimed at quasi-static motion planning in the horizontal plane. The model comprises a rigid torso and four rigid legs which engage in an alternating tetrapod gait. As the gait is executed, the torso and the legs form two switching four-bar linkages, parameterized by the leg touchdown and liftoff angles, as well as the leg angular velocity. We show that the sfm model captures on average experimentally observed behaviors of an eight-legged miniature robot crawling at low speeds quasi-statically. This work represents a first step toward a template that captures critical aspects of the kinematic behavior of miniature legged robots implementing quasi-static gaits. Such template can be used as a tool to facilitate motion planning tasks with such robots.

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Notes

  1. Ipsilateral means on the same side and contralateral means on the other side. A list of the terms used in this paper is presented in the Appendix.

  2. Protraction (Retraction) refers to the motion of the legs on the sagittal plane bringing them farther (closer) to the center of the body; see Appendix.

  3. The duty factor refers to the percentage of the total cycle during which a leg touches the ground; see Appendix.

  4. Later in Sect. 5.2 we provide insight on choosing this duration; see also Fig. 12.

  5. This value depends on the mechanical properties of the test surface, and may slightly vary among different octoroach robots.

  6. Only when both pairs are actuated. Otherwise it corresponds to the actuated pair.

  7. It is emphasized here that all model trajectories also correspond to a duration of \(3\) s.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported in part by NSF under Grants IIS-1350721, CMMI-1130372, and CNS-1035577, and by ARL MAST CTA # W911NF-08-2-0004.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Delaware, 126 Spencer Lab, 130 Academy Street, Newark, DE, USA

    Konstantinos Karydis, Yan Liu, Ioannis Poulakakis & Herbert G. Tanner

Authors
  1. Konstantinos Karydis
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  2. Yan Liu
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  3. Ioannis Poulakakis
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  4. Herbert G. Tanner
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Konstantinos Karydis.

Appendix: Terminology

Appendix: Terminology

For the convenience of the reader, we present here a collection of the terms used in this paper.

Abduction:

Motion of the legs on the coronal plane that moves them farther from the center of the body

Adduction:

Motion of the legs on the coronal plane that brings them closer to the center of the body

Contralateral:

On opposite sides

Coronal:

Vertical plane dividing a body into the front and back halves

Cycle:

Periodic motion of the legs

Duty factor:

Percentage of the total cycle during which a particular leg touches the ground

Gait:

Pattern of movement of the legs

Ipsilateral:

On the same side

Protraction:

Motion of the legs on the sagittal plane that moves them further away from the center of the body

Retraction:

Motion of the legs on the sagittal plane that brings them closer to the center of the body

Sagittal:

Vertical plane dividing a body into a right and left half

Stance phase:

Portion of the cycle during which a particular leg touches the ground

Swing phase:

Portion of the cycle during which a particular leg is lifted off the ground and moves forward

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Karydis, K., Liu, Y., Poulakakis, I. et al. A template candidate for miniature legged robots in quasi-static motion. Auton Robot 38, 193–209 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10514-014-9401-4

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