Bio-Inspired Compliant Joints and Economic MPC Co-Design for Energy-Efficient, High-Speed Locomotion in Snake-like...

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Bio-inspired engineering
• Control systems

Background:

• Snake-like robots require efficient locomotion and smooth gait transitions for practical applications.
• Current designs often struggle with energy consumption and adaptability in unstructured environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a bio-inspired compliant joint design for snake-like robots.
• To integrate a hierarchical neural oscillator network for adaptive gait generation.
• To create an energy-optimized control framework for enhanced locomotion.

Main Methods:

• A bio-inspired compliant joint design utilizing wheeled mechanisms and adaptive parallel linkages.
• A hierarchical neural oscillator network with a phase-smoothing algorithm for gait control.
• A synergistic design philosophy co-optimizing mechanical components and control parameters via shared dynamic modeling.
• A predictive control strategy for optimizing speed and minimizing energy consumption.

Main Results:

• Simulations showed an 18% increase in average forward speed and 7% decrease in energy use compared to conventional methods.
• Physical prototype testing confirmed a 12.9% speed increase and 7.3% energy reduction.
• The unified approach successfully bridges dynamic performance and energy efficiency.

Conclusions:

• The proposed bio-inspired design and control framework offer a robust solution for snake-like robot locomotion in unstructured environments.
• This work advances energy-efficient and adaptive robotic systems through integrated mechanical and control design.