Nansai, Shunsuke, Rojas, Nicolas, Elara, Mohan Rajesh, Sosa, Ricardo and Iwase, Masami (2015) On a Jansen leg with multiple gait patterns for reconfigurable walking platforms. Advances in Mechanical Engineering, 7 (3). ISSN 1687-8140

PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (5MB)

Abstract

Legged robots are able to move across irregular terrains and those based on 1-degree-of-freedom planar linkages can be energy efficient, but are often constrained by a limited range of gaits which can limit their locomotion capabilities considerably. This article reports the design of a novel reconfigurable Theo Jansen linkage that produces a wide variety of gait cycles, opening new possibilities for innovative applications. The suggested mechanism switches from a pin-jointed Grübler kinematic chain to a 5-degree-of-freedom mechanism with slider joints during the reconfiguration process. It is shown that such reconfigurable linkage significantly extend the capabilities of the original design, while maintaining its mechanical simplicity during normal operation, to not only produce different useful gait patterns but also to realize behaviors beyond locomotion. Experiments with an implemented prototype are presented, and their results validate the proposed approach.

Item Type:	Article
Schools and Departments:	School of Engineering and Informatics > Engineering and Design
Depositing User:	Nicolas Rojas
Date Deposited:	07 Mar 2016 09:43
Last Modified:	03 Jul 2019 02:32
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/59870

View download statistics for this item

📧 Request an update