Mobility and Agility of Multi-legged Walking Robot System

This paper presents a method for the acceleration analysis of multi-legged walking robots in consideration of the frictional ground contact. This method is based on both unified dynamic equation for finding the acceleration of a robot`s body and constraint equation for satisfying no-slip condition. After the dynamic equation representing relationship between actuator torques and body acceleration, is derived from the force and acceleration relationship between foot and body`s gravity center, the constraint equation is formulated to reconfigure the maximum torque boundaries satisfying no-slip condition from given original actuator torque boundaries. From application of the reconfigured torques to the dynamic equation, interested acceleration boundaries are obtained. The approach based on above two equations, is adapted to the changes of degree-of-freedoms of legs as well as friction of ground. And the method provides the maximum translational and rotational acceleration boundaries of body`s center that are achievable in every direction without occurring slipping at the contact points or saturating all actuators. Given the torque limits in infinite normsense, the resultant accelerations are derived as a polytope. From the proposed method, we obtained achievable acceleration boundaries of 4-legged and 6-legged walking robot system successfully.