Development of an Eccentric Legged Quadruped Robot for a Predefined Uneven Terrain

Abstract

Bio-inspired robotics is a relatively new branch in the field of robotics. It involves the study of the anatomical, morphological and physical behavior of natural living animals and implementing such morphologies and mechanisms in an electro-mechanical system. The field of bio-inspired robotics has given birth to many complex mobile robot topologies which also include legged locomotion. Legged robots help the designers gain an insight into how the biomechanics of animals operate which also can help inspire new technologies in the field of prosthetics and artificial limbs. Legged robots have a higher terrain adaptability and mobility compared to wheeled robots which makes them a good choice for uneven terrain navigation. Legged locomotion itself has a wide scope with various topologies and morphologies involved. In this paper we have evaluated all existing quadruped robot models currently, and have proposed a distinctive quadruped model structure and morphology for uneven terrain locomotion. The robot model has been analyzed through computational modelling and simulation techniques for optimum leg morphologies and gait patterns. The results demonstrated that certain leg morphologies were more efficient compared to other considered leg morphologies. The robot was fabricated physically and tested for the same morphologies in an uneven terrain as well.