Fast and efficient locomotion of a snake robot based on self-excitation principle

Abstract

Snake-like animal locomotion by means of friction force can perform various kinds of motion and body shape. In order to realize high speed and high efficiency locomotion, the authors applied the self-excited locomotion principle to a snake mechanism. First, they analyzed the kinematics and the dynamics of a three-link snake mechanism driven by self-excitation. Then, they manufactured the first prototype of a snake robot called "SES-1". By using the experimentally identified traction parameters of the robot, they found a good agreement between the experimental and simulated results and a locomotion velocity of 0.4[m/s]. Furthermore, they showed high efficiency of the self-excited snake locomotion. Lastly, they introduced the second prototype of the self-excited snake robot called "SES-2" that is radio-controlled.