Legged robot

Abstract

This paper addresses some of the fundamental problems in getting a legged robot to walk and to navigate autonomously in an unknown environment. To understand the robot walking characteristics, a six legged robot was designed, built and tested in the laboratory. To investigate the navigational capability of the robot, ultrasonic sensors together with a navigational control algorithm were used to detect and avoid obstacles. Results from the experiments performed show that the maximum walking speed of the robot is limited by the period in which stable walk can be achieved. The navigational control algorithm, implemented on the robot, has proven to be intelligent enough to enable the robot to move autonomously through unfamiliar environments.