Bio-Inspired Locomotion Control of Limbless Robots

Description

This book presents a bio-inspired hierarchical control scheme step by step toward developing limbless robots capable of 3D locomotion, fast reflex response, as well as sophisticated reaction to environmental stimuli. This interdisciplinary book introduces how to combine biological concept with locomotion control of limbless robots. The special features of the book include limbless locomotion classification and control, design of biological locomotor and the integration of sensory information into the locomotor using artificial intelligence methods, and on-site demonstrations of limbless locomotion in different scenarios. The book is suitable for readers with engineering background, especially for researchers focused on bio-inspired robots. Contents List of Figures List of Tables 1 Introduction 1.1 Limbless Locomotion in Nature 1.2 Limbless Locomotion in Robots 1.3 Scope and Goals References 2 Overview of Limbless Robots 2.1 State of the Art 2.1.1 Active Cord Mechanism 2.1.2 CMU's Snake Robots 2.1.3 AmphiBot 2.1.4 OmniTread 2.1.5 Others 2.2 How Limbless Robots Move 2.2.1 Lateral Undulation with Passive Wheels 2.2.2 Self-propulsion with Active Wheels 2.2.3 Self-propulsion with Active Treads 2.2.4 Pure Body Undulation 2.2.5 Rectilinear with Body Expansion and Contraction 2.3 Limbless Locomotion Control 2.3.1 Gait Control Table 2.3.2 Analytical Method 2.3.3 Sine-Based Method 2.3.4 CPG-Based Method 2.4 Summary References 3 Sinusoidal Generator—An Attempt to Limbless Locomotion 3.1 Analysis and Design of Asymmetric Oscillation for Caterpillar-Like Locomotion 3.1.1 Inspiration from Caterpillars 3.1.2 Caterpillar-Like Locomotion Analysis 3.1.3 Design of Asymmetric Oscillator 3.1.4 Simulation and Experiments 3.1.5 Caterpillar-Like Locomotion Summary 3.2 Development of a Vision-Based Target Exploration System for Snake-Like Robots 3.2.1 Snake-Like Robot System Overview 3.2.2 Vision-Based Navigation 3.2.3 Experiments 3.2.4 Summary of the Target Exploration System References 4 Design of a Lamprey Spinal Generator 4.1 CPG Overview 4.1.1 Ijspeert's Model 4.1.2 Matsuoka's Model 4.1.3 Ekeberg's Model 4.1.4 Herrero-Carrón's Model 4.1.5 Comparison 4.2 Design Goals 4.3 Single Oscillator Design 4.4 Chained Inhibitory CPG Circuit 4.4.1 CPG Circuit Construction 4.4.2 Parameters Adjustment 4.5 Cyclic Inhibitory CPG Circuit 4.5.1 Synchronization Activity 4.5.2 Maintenance Activity 4.6 Summary References 5 Design of Limbless Locomotion 5.1 Introduction 5.2 3D Gait Implementation 5.2.1 Sidewinding Gait 5.2.2 Rolling Gait 5.2.3 Turning Gait 5.2.4 Flapping Gait 5.2.5 Designed Gaits Summary 5.3 On-Site Experiment 5.4 Summary References 6 Design of Sensory Reflex Mechanism 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Sensory Reflex Mechanism 6.2.1 Reflex Arc 6.2.2 Sensory Neuron Integration 6.2.3 Response Behaviors 6.3 Ball Hitting Experiment 6.3.1 Simulation 6.3.2 On-Site Experiment 6.4 Corridor Passing Experiment 6.4.1 Simulation 6.4.2 On-Site Experiment 6.5 Summary References 7 Development of Adaptive Locomotion Based on a Feedback Coupled CPG Model 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Adaptive Control System 7.2.1 Robot Construction 7.2.2 Control Architecture 7.3 Sensor Processor 7.4 Reaction Maker 7.5 Parameter Modulator 7.6 Motion Optimization 7.7 Simulation and Experiment 7.7.1 Simulation 7.7.2 On-Site Experiment 7.8 Summary References 8 Conclusions