A bio-inspired adjustable posture quadruped robot with laterally undulating spine for terradynamically challenging...

Area of Science:

• Robotics and Bio-inspired Engineering
• Morphological Adaptation in Biological Systems
• Terradynamic Environment Navigation

Background:

• Biological organisms exhibit vital morphological adaptation for changing environments.
• Robotic emulation of adaptability is challenged by material, control, and design complexities.
• Need for versatile robots in unstructured, unpredictable real-world scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce a bioinspired quadruped robot with a laterally undulating spine and posture-changing mechanism.
• Enable adaptation in complex terradynamic environments.
• Bridge the gap between theoretical adaptability and practical robotic deployment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a symmetrical parallelogram mechanism for precise height and width control.
• Implemented lateral undulation for active stability during posture changes.
• Ensured center of gravity remains within the support triangle, reducing reliance on complex sensors or algorithms.

Main Results:

• Successfully traversed flat and inclined surfaces (10° uphill/downhill).
• Navigated confined tunnels with narrow widths.
• Observed up to 30% faster locomotion speeds in certain configurations based on terrain roughness.
• Demonstrated consistent low overall energy expenditure with a modest power increase in specific postures.

Conclusions:

• The robot effectively navigates diverse and complex terrains.
• Lateral undulation provides inherent stability, simplifying control.
• The design offers a practical approach to adaptable robotic locomotion.
• Contributes to versatile, autonomous systems for exploration and disaster response.