The effect of tail stiffness on a sprawling quadruped locomotion
A distinctive feature of quadrupeds that is integral to their locomotion is the tail. Tails serve many purposes in biological systems, including propulsion, counterbalance, and stabilization while walking, running, climbing, or jumping. Similarly, tails in legged robots may augment the stability and...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-08-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Robotics and AI |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frobt.2023.1198749/full |
| _version_ | 1797737433364692992 |
|---|---|
| author | Josh Buckley Nnamdi Chikere Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin |
| author_facet | Josh Buckley Nnamdi Chikere Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin |
| author_sort | Josh Buckley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A distinctive feature of quadrupeds that is integral to their locomotion is the tail. Tails serve many purposes in biological systems, including propulsion, counterbalance, and stabilization while walking, running, climbing, or jumping. Similarly, tails in legged robots may augment the stability and maneuverability of legged robots by providing an additional point of contact with the ground. However, in the field of terrestrial bio-inspired legged robotics, the tail is often ignored because of the difficulties in design and control. In this study, we test the hypothesis that a variable stiffness robotic tail can improve the performance of a sprawling quadruped robot by enhancing its stability and maneuverability in various environments. In order to validate our hypothesis, we integrated a cable-driven, flexible tail with multiple segments into the underactuated sprawling quadruped robot, where a single servo motor working alongside a reel and cable mechanism regulates the tail’s stiffness. Our results demonstrated that by controlling the stiffness of the tail, the stability of locomotion on rough terrain and the climbing ability of the robot are improved compared to the movement with a rigid tail and no tail. Our findings highlight that constant ground support provided by the flexible tail is key to maintaining stable locomotion. This ensured a predictable gait cycle, eliminating unexpected turning and slipping, resulting in an increase in locomotion speed and efficiency. Additionally, we observed the robot’s enhanced climbing ability on surfaces inclined up to 20°. The flexibility of the tail enabled the robot to overcome obstacles without external sensing, exhibiting significant adaptability across various terrains. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:28:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9dc46594265f40438a19747f810b09cc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-9144 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:28:39Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Robotics and AI |
| spelling | doaj.art-9dc46594265f40438a19747f810b09cc2023-08-25T00:33:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Robotics and AI2296-91442023-08-011010.3389/frobt.2023.11987491198749The effect of tail stiffness on a sprawling quadruped locomotionJosh Buckley0Nnamdi Chikere1Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin2Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Galway, County Galway, IrelandDepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United StatesDepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United StatesA distinctive feature of quadrupeds that is integral to their locomotion is the tail. Tails serve many purposes in biological systems, including propulsion, counterbalance, and stabilization while walking, running, climbing, or jumping. Similarly, tails in legged robots may augment the stability and maneuverability of legged robots by providing an additional point of contact with the ground. However, in the field of terrestrial bio-inspired legged robotics, the tail is often ignored because of the difficulties in design and control. In this study, we test the hypothesis that a variable stiffness robotic tail can improve the performance of a sprawling quadruped robot by enhancing its stability and maneuverability in various environments. In order to validate our hypothesis, we integrated a cable-driven, flexible tail with multiple segments into the underactuated sprawling quadruped robot, where a single servo motor working alongside a reel and cable mechanism regulates the tail’s stiffness. Our results demonstrated that by controlling the stiffness of the tail, the stability of locomotion on rough terrain and the climbing ability of the robot are improved compared to the movement with a rigid tail and no tail. Our findings highlight that constant ground support provided by the flexible tail is key to maintaining stable locomotion. This ensured a predictable gait cycle, eliminating unexpected turning and slipping, resulting in an increase in locomotion speed and efficiency. Additionally, we observed the robot’s enhanced climbing ability on surfaces inclined up to 20°. The flexibility of the tail enabled the robot to overcome obstacles without external sensing, exhibiting significant adaptability across various terrains.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frobt.2023.1198749/fullbio-inspired roboticsquadruped locomotionflexible tailvariable stiffnessstabilitysprawled posture |
| spellingShingle | Josh Buckley Nnamdi Chikere Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin The effect of tail stiffness on a sprawling quadruped locomotion Frontiers in Robotics and AI bio-inspired robotics quadruped locomotion flexible tail variable stiffness stability sprawled posture |
| title | The effect of tail stiffness on a sprawling quadruped locomotion |
| title_full | The effect of tail stiffness on a sprawling quadruped locomotion |
| title_fullStr | The effect of tail stiffness on a sprawling quadruped locomotion |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of tail stiffness on a sprawling quadruped locomotion |
| title_short | The effect of tail stiffness on a sprawling quadruped locomotion |
| title_sort | effect of tail stiffness on a sprawling quadruped locomotion |
| topic | bio-inspired robotics quadruped locomotion flexible tail variable stiffness stability sprawled posture |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frobt.2023.1198749/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT joshbuckley theeffectoftailstiffnessonasprawlingquadrupedlocomotion AT nnamdichikere theeffectoftailstiffnessonasprawlingquadrupedlocomotion AT yaseminozkanaydin theeffectoftailstiffnessonasprawlingquadrupedlocomotion AT joshbuckley effectoftailstiffnessonasprawlingquadrupedlocomotion AT nnamdichikere effectoftailstiffnessonasprawlingquadrupedlocomotion AT yaseminozkanaydin effectoftailstiffnessonasprawlingquadrupedlocomotion |