A Muscle-driven Mechanism for Locomotion of Snake-Robots: Kinematics, Design, and Prototyping

Abstract

This work presents the design, prototyping, and kinematic study of a muscle-driven mechanism for snake-robot locomotion. In the presented concept, pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) were integrated into each side of connecting links of a snake-robot. The muscle actuators are activated by applying pressurized air to provide the rotational motion through their alternative contraction/extension on each side of a joint which causes the desired movement in the connecting links relative to one another. A two-link and an extended three-link mechanisms were designed and prototyped using 3D-printing. PAMs were designed, fabricated, and characterized to generate desired kinematic responses. A pneumatic control system was developed that can modulate the air pressure and control the airflow direction applied to the PAMs. The assembled mechanisms and control system were examined for validation and kinematic study. The results showed the feasibility of the proposed muscle-driven mechanism for snake-robot locomotion.