Adaptive Walk of Decentralized-controlled Hexapod Robot Based on Follow-the-contact-point Gait Walking with Timekeeper Control

Abstract

This paper proposes an adaptive walking method for a six-legged robot controlled by a Follow-the-Contact-Point gait control. In the previous research, the range of allowable duration time at each control mode was derived mathematically by using formal verification, and, by mapping the allowable duration time to the configuration space of a leg, the allowable space for each leg to contact was derived. However, because of simplification in the mapping, the improvement of movability of a robot was limited. To overcome the issue, Timekeeper control that directly keeps staying time at each control mode within allowable range is proposed. First, a control method of six-legged robot, Follow-the-Contact-Point gait control, is introduced. Next, the allowable duration time at each control mode which is derived in the previous research and the proposed Timekeeper control is explained. Additionally, an operating method of the robot by indicating contact point and a posture control of the robot are proposed. Finally, improvement of robot's movability using the proposed method is verified in a physical simulation.