Scale effect mechanism research of insect-imitating hexapod robot

The scale parameter is one of the key factors which influence the structure and locomotion characteristics of the legged robot. The scale effect mechanism of animals in nature was revealed, and the influence of scale parameters on animal was analyzed. This paper establishes a dynamic model of insect-imitating hexapod robot. A high-fidelity simulation platform for hexapod robot was established based on Vortex, and the foot-ground interaction mechanics model was established and applied to the developed simulation platform. Based on the existing six-legged robot prototype, the validity of the relevant model and the fidelity of the simulation platform are verified. The influence of a robot’s mass and characteristic size on its feature locomotion was analyzed. The foot force rises with the increase of the whole robot mass, and the foot force of the unit robot mass decreases with the increase of the whole robot mass, eventually tending to a fixed value. The maximum joint torque rises with the increase of the whole robot mass. The system power rises with the increase of the whole robot mass, but the system power of unit robot mass is basically a constant value. The peak system power decreases with the increase of the distance between the front and the rear leg, and the joint torque rises with the increase of the distance between the front and rear leg. The related research results have guiding significance and reference value for the system design of hexapod robots.