Walking locomotion of a cable-driven soft-legged robot

Abstract

A soft quadruped robot that can perform linear locomotion and turning patterns is proposed. The silicone rubber legs were cable-actuated and powered by motors. First, the bending behavior of the soft legs under quasi-static conditions was studied, and then mathematical models for linear and turning motions were established based on gait analysis. The soft-legged robot can decouple linear and turning motions. Furthermore, slope walking and payload were experimentally tested. The results showed that the robot can conduct linear locomotion at a speed of 19.8 mm/s and turn with an angular velocity of 4.4°/s. In addition, it had a payload of up to 300 g, and performed well on a smooth surface with a 17° slope.