Semi-autonomous centipede-like robot with flexible legs

Abstract

In this paper, we focus on a centipede. The defining characteristics of a centipede are its thin, long shape and many legs. The thin shape enables it to move into narrow spaces, and its length and many legs endow it with excellent mobility. However, when designing its robotic counterpart, these features cause operational disadvantages. In general, it is very difficult to control the many degrees of freedom adapting to complex environments such as rubble. The main objective of our research was determining how to address this disadvantage without sacrificing the benefits. We observed the movements of a real centipede and found that the key to realizing this is flexibility. Since the flexible body and legs adapt passively to the bumps of the environment, a centipede only has to perform regular locomotive patterns such as wave-like motion. In this paper, we propose a flexible mechanism for a multi-legged robot that can adapt to a rubble-heavy environment, and we demonstrate that the robot achieves mobility without complicated controls.