the Robocoq project : Modelling and design of a bird-like robot equipped with stabilized vision

Abstract

The RoboCoq project aims at designing a prototype of autonomous biped based on the avian model. According to biological studies conducted at National Museum of Natural History in Paris (MNHN) the locomotion system of birds appears to be more efficient than the human model in terms of stability, stride length and mobility. Moreover due to its morphology the foot of a bird seems to be more polyvalent and suitable for support and crossing of pebbly terrain. The objective of this project is to design a robot capable of exploring cluttered environments. The design of the robot will rely on experimental kinematics and dynamic data obtained from the animal. The information collected will serve as a basis for modelling and simulating the locomotion system of the bird, and will help reproduce the head-bobbing reflex on the robot. This project has just started and involves the participation of biologists and roboticians issued from the MNHN, the LNRS, and the LRV. This paper presents some features of the avian model compared with the human model, describes the experimental protocol to be conducted to get all the biological data from the animal, gives a first simplified kinematics model of the locomotion system presents as well as a direct geometric model. The model constructed under ADAMS is exposed at the end of the article. 1 1.