Motion control for a novel legged robot

Abstract

A motion control scheme has been developed to control all axes of a novel six-legged robot (Ambler) for planetary exploration. The robot's configuration and control scheme lend themselves well to ensuring predictable and reliable walking. A feature that simplifies control and makes low-energy walking possible is the decoupling of the horizontal and vertical actuations. Each leg resembles a cylindrical type of robot arm. There are two prismatic joints (elbow and foot extensions) and one rotary joint (shoulder). Body attitude and altitude control is accomplished by the six vertical actuators. The body is pulled forward by the horizontal actuators. The horizontal actuators have no gravity load on them if the body is kept level. A single leg has been constructed, and the portion of the overall motion control scheme for it has been implemented.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>