Force Sensing for Multi-Legged Walking Robots: Theory and Experiments Part 1: Overview and Force Sensing

Abstract

This paper is intended to direct the attention of researchers and designers of multi-legged walking robots to the problem of force sensing for such vehicles. The use of force information enables such systems to achieve new mechanical properties, increases the reliability and functional capabilities of walking robots and simplifies many control algorithms. Interest in developing walking machines as vehicles with increased passability has picked up in the last sixty years. Walking machines have a number of principle advantages over wheeled and caterpillar machines: