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Synthesizing reconfigurable foot traces using a Klann mechanism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2015

Jaichandar Kulandaidaasan Sheba*
Affiliation:
School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore Institute of Engineering and Technology, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Mexico
Mohan Rajesh Elara
Affiliation:
Engineering Product Development Pillar, Singapore University of Technological Design, Singapore
Edgar Martínez-García
Affiliation:
Institute of Engineering and Technology, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Mexico
Le Tan-Phuc
Affiliation:
School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: jai@sp.edu.sg

Summary

Legged locomotion systems have been effective in numerous robotic missions, and such locomotion is especially useful for providing better mobility over irregular landscapes. However, locomotion capabilities of robots are often constrained by a limited range of gaits and the associated energy efficiency. This paper presents the design of a novel reconfigurable Klann mechanism capable of producing a variety of useful gait cycles. Such an approach opens up new research avenues, opportunities and applications. The position analysis problem that arises when dealing with reconfigurable Klann mechanisms was solved here using a bilateration method, which is a distance-based formulation. By changing the linkage configurations, our aim was to generate a set of useful gaits for a legged robotic platform. In this study, five gait patterns of interest were identified, analysed and discussed that validate the feasibility of our approach and considerably extend the capabilities of the original design.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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