Non-vector space landing control for a miniature tailed robot

Abstract

Small insects can use vision to successfully land on arbitrary surfaces. For miniature robots with a size of a few centimeters, it is challenging to achieve similar capabilities due to their small sizes. To address this problem, we present a new vision based landing algorithm using a non-vector space control method, which formulates the system dynamics in the space of sets—different from the traditional vector space with a linear structure. Using a stabilization controller in the non-vector space, we can control the landing posture of a small robot with an active tail. Preliminary experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The research presented in this paper, together with the idea of compressive feedback—when only a compressed image is used for feedback—can potentially achieve real time onboard vision based control for miniature robots.