Gait versatility through morphological changes in a new quadruped robot

Abstract

In dynamic locomotion, robots’ morphology and the ability to adapt it online play an important role in energy efficiency and coping with the highly unpredictable perturbations from the environment. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a quadruped robot whose morphology is particularly targeted towards energy-efficient dynamic locomotion. We propose a combination of mechanisms which allow for energy-efficient actuation, ground clearance, and gait versatility through adaptation of morphology (morphosis). We report on a series of experiments to validate the robot’s performance in different locomotion conditions.