In this paper, the kinematic workspace characteristics of
a crab-like legged vehicle are investigated using a 2-D model.
The alternative kinematic configurations and their corresponding workspace constraints are
discussed, and the vehicle configuration of most interest identified. It
is shown that, for constant vehicle body attitude, only two
parameters affect the kinematic workspace, foot overlap and thigh length.
Analytical methods for calculating the workspace characteristics are presented and,
using these methods, the effects of the design geometry on
the kinematic workspace are investigated.