Effect of feet failure and control uncertainties on the locomotion of multi-legged miniature robots

Date
2022-03-09
Advisor
Instructor
Source Title
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
Print ISSN
Electronic ISSN
2377-3766
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Volume
7
Issue
2
Pages
5568 - 5574
Language
English
Type
Article
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract

This study investigates the effects of control uncertainties and random feet failures on the locomotion of the multi-legged miniature robots. The locomotion analyses results are verified with our modular multi-legged miniature robot with a soft/hybrid body named SMoLBot. A single SMoLBot module is 44.5 mm wide, 16.75 mm long, and 15 mm high with two individually actuated and controlled DC motors. This individual actuation makes it feasible to run with any imaginable gait, making SMoLBot a nice candidate for gait study analyses. The presented locomotion study shows that the effects of control uncertainties and feet failures are highly dependent on the total number of legs and the type of backbone attached to the robot, e.g., increasing the total number of legs or utilizing a rigid backbone on the robot helps the robot to walk faster compared to similar robots with soft backbones or the ones with fewer modules. This study presents a guide to the researchers on the effects of feet failures and control uncertainties on the locomotion of soft/hybrid multi-legged miniature robots.

Course
Other identifiers
Book Title
Keywords
Cellular and modular robots, Legged robots, Soft robot materials and design
Citation
Published Version (Please cite this version)