Intelligent gait synthesizer for hexapod walking rescue robots

Abstract

In this paper a gait synthesizer for a hexapod robot working in search and rescue operations is designed. The gait synthesizer is composed of three modules responsible for selecting a new gait, evaluating tide current one, and modifying the recommended gait according to the internal reinforcements of past time steps. A fuzzy logic controller is implemented in selecting the new gaits. Different hexapod wave gaits are encoded within its fuzzy rules to model the gaits in the rule base of the controller. Simulation results demonstrate the potential of the gait synthesizer for search and rescue operations such as its adaptability to the uneven terrain by shaping gaits, getting out of an entrapment of a leg, modifying gaits when some legs are used as manipulators.