Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T10:59:23.183Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A fast mesoscale quadruped robot using piezocomposite actuators

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2012

Thanhtam Ho  and
Sangyoon Lee
Thanhtam Ho
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Design and Production Engineering Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Korea, 143-701
Sangyoon Lee*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Design and Production Engineering Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Korea, 143-701
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

This paper introduces the design, analysis, and experimental results of a fast mesoscale (12 cm length) quadruped mobile robot that employs unconventional actuators. Four legs of the robot are actuated by two pieces of piezocomposite actuator named LIPCA, which enables the robot to achieve the bounding gait with only one degree of freedom per leg. The forward locomotion is obtained by a creative idea in the design and the speed can be controlled by changing the frequency of actuators. The mechanism of power transfer has been improved in order to use the actuation power more efficiently. Two small RC-servo motors are added to control the locomotion direction. In addition, a small power supply and control circuit is developed that is fit for the robot. Our experiments show that the robot can locomote as fast as about two times its body length per second with the circuit board and a battery installed. The robot is also able to change the heading direction in a controlled way and is capable of continuous operation for 35 min.

Keywords

Legged robotPiezocomposite actuatorBounding locomotion
Type
Articles
Information
Robotica , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , January 2013 , pp. 89 - 98
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Estremera, J., Garcia, E. and Gonzalez de Santos, P., “A multi-modal and collaborative human–machine interface for a walking robot,” J. Intell. Robot. Syst. 35, 397–425 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Klaassen, B., Linnemann, R., Spenneberg, D. and Kirchner, F., “Biomimetic walking robot SCORPION: Control and modeling,” Robot. Auton. Syst. 41, 69–76 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Siegwart, P. and Nourbakhsh, I. R., Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots (The MIT Press: Massachusetts, 2004).Google Scholar
4.Gonzalez de Santos, P., Estremera, J. and Garcia, E., Quadrupedal Locomotion: An Introduction to the Control of Four-legged Robots (Springer: Germany, 2006).Google Scholar
5.Kingsley, D. A., Quinn, R. D. and Ritzmann, R. E., “A Cockroach Inspired Robot with Artificial Muscles,” In: International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing (2006) pp. 1837–1842.Google Scholar
6.Playter, R., Buehler, M. and Raibert, M., “BigDog,” In: Proceedings of the SPIE Defense and Security Symposia, Unmanned Systems Technology, Orlando, vol. 6230, (2006) pp. 623020.Google Scholar
7.Fukuoka, Y. and Kimura, H., “Dynamic locomotion of a biomorphic quadruped ‘Tekken’ robot using various gaits: Walk, trot, free-gait and bound,” Appl. Bionics Biomech. 6, 63–71 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Bailey, S. A., Cham, J. G., Cutkosky, M. R. and Full, R. J., “Comparing the locomotion dynamics of the cockroach and a shape deposition manufactured biomimetic hexapod,” Experimental Robotics VII, Lecture Notes in Control and Information Sciences 271, 239–248 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Saranli, U., Buehler, M. and Koditschek, D. E. “RHex: A simple and highly mobile hexapod robot,” Int. J. Robot. Res. 20, 616–631 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10.Goldfarb, M., Gogola, M., Fischer, G. and Garcia, E., “Development of a piezoelectrically-actuated mesoscale robot quadruped,” J. Micromechatronics 1, 205–219 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Sahai, R., Avadhanula, S., Groff, R., Steltz, E., Wood, R. and Fearing, R. S., “Towards a 3g Crawling Robot through the Integration of Microrobot Technologies,” In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Orlando (2006) pp. 296–302.Google Scholar
12.Hoover, A. M., Steltz, E. and Fearing, R. S., “RoACH: An Autonomous 2.4g Crawling Hexapod Robot,” In: Proceedings of International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Nice, France (2008) pp. 26–33.Google Scholar
13.Pei, Q., Rosenthal, M., Stanford, S., Prahlad, H. and Pelrine, R., “Multiple-degrees-of-freedom electroelastomer roll actuators,” Smart Mater. Struct. 13, N86–N92 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Yoon, K. J., Shin, S., Park, H. C. and Goo, N. S., “Design and manufacture of a lightweight piezo-composite curved actuator,” Smart Mater. Struct. 11, 163 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15.Kim, K. Y., Park, K. H., Park, H. C., Goo, N. S. and Yoon, K. J., “Performance evaluation of lightweight piezo-composite actuators,” Sensor. Actuat. A: Phys. 120, 123–129 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16.Yoon, K. J., Park, K. H., Lee, S. K., Goo, N. S. and Park, H. C., “Analytical design model for a piezo-composite unimorph actuator and its verification using lightweight piezo-composite curved actuators,” Smart Mater. Struct. 13, 459–467 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17.Mossi, K. M. and Bishop, R. P., “Characterization of Different Types of High Performance THUNDER Actuators,” In: Proceedings of theSPIE Conference, Newport Beach, CA, vol. 3675, (Mar. 1999) pp. 43–52.Google Scholar
18.Ho, T. and Lee, S., “Piezoelectrically actuated biomimetic self-contained quadruped bounding robot,” J. Bionic Eng. 6, 29–36 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19.Steltz, E., Seeman, M., Avadhanula, S. and Fearing, R. S., “Power Electronics Design Choice for Piezoelectric Microrobots,” In: Proceedings of the International Conferenceon Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing, China (2006) pp. 1322–1328.Google Scholar
20.Poulakakis, I., Smith, J. A. and Buehler, M., “Modeling and experiments of untethered quadrupedal running with a bounding gait: The scout II robot,” Int. J. Rob. Res. 24, 239–256 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.Buehler, M., Cocosco, A., Yamazaki, K. and Battaglia, R., “Stable Open Loop Walking in Quadruped Robots with Stick Legs,” In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Detroit, Michigan, vol. 3 (1999) pp. 2348–2353.Google Scholar
22.Zhou, Y., “On the planar stability of rigid-link binary walking robots,” Robotica 21, 667–675 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23.Ho, T. and Lee, S., “Two Types of Biologically-Inspired Mesoscale Quadruped Robots,” In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics, Chengdu, China (2008) pp. 1148–1153.Google Scholar
24.Furusho, J., Sano, A., Sakaguchi, M. and Koizumi, E., “Realization of Bounce Gait in a Quadruped Robot with Articular-Joint-Type Legs,” Proceedings of The IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Nagoya, Japan (1995) pp. 697–702.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25.Ebefors, T., Mattsson, J. U., Kälvesten, E. and Stemme, G., “A Walking Silicon Micro-Robot,” In: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators, Sendai, Japan (1999) pp. 1202–1205.Google Scholar
26.Mavroidis, C., “Development of advanced actuators using shape memory alloys and electrorheological fluids,” Res. Nondestruct. Eval. 14, 1–32 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27.Won, M., Kang, T. H. and Chung, W. K., “Gait planning for quadruped robot based on dynamic stability: Landing accordance ratio,” Intell. Serv. Robot. 2, 105–112 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar