Coordinated Use of Structure-Integrated Bistable Actuation Modules for Agile Locomotion

Satoshi Nishikawa, Yusuke Arai, Ryuma Niiyama, Yasuo Kuniyoshi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

It is difficult to design agile soft-bodied robots owing to their inherent softness. To overcome this problem, we propose a structure-integrated bistable module that uses snap-through buckling for agile motions. First, we confirmed that a 0.05-m-long module was able to jump to 0.13 m high. Through investigation, we found a range of command parameters within which the module jumps consistently. Moreover, we showed that jumping performance had strong relation to the bending amplitude. Next, we induced a robot with two serially connected modules to roll forward and jump over an obstacle. In rolling, the robot became round for quick locomotion. In jumping, we found that buckling in one module induced buckling in the other module. The difference in buckling time between the two modules was shortened from the order of 0.1 s to the order of 0.01 s. This might be effective for error correction or useful for coordinated motions. These results show the effectiveness of the proposed structure-integrated bistable modules for making agile soft-bodied robots, and suggest ways of exploiting them.

Original languageEnglish
Article number8260849
Pages (from-to)1018-1024
Number of pages7
JournalIEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
Volume3
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2018
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Control and Optimization
  • Artificial Intelligence

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