Hexapod robot gait stability investigation

Abstract

Environmental adaptability, terrain locomotion is what makes walking robots so appealing. Due to a high number of degrees of freedom walking machines tend to be more useful in dangerous or impassible environments. Multi-legged robots have better stability while walking because there are always at least three legs supporting the robot. But having six or more legs also means that choosing or developing most suitable walking patterns is very challenging. In this paper we present a stability investigation of different hexapod robot gaits. Stability of gaits is measured by body tilt during movement. Three different gaits are used: tripod gait, wave gait, and ripple gait. Comparison of each gaits stability with various leg transfer sequences is given. Results show that the most stable gait is wave with the basic leg transfer sequence.