autonomous decentralized control in real-time adaptive serpentine locomotion

Abstract

Animals exhibit astoundingly adaptive locomotion in real-time under unpredictable environment. In this study, we focus on serpentine locomotion and aim to understand its mechanism based on a synthetic approach. We construct a model of serpentine robot where viscoelastic property is implemented into its body, and design feedback control based on muscle extension and stress vector that arises at the surface of the robot, both of which are locally-available sensory information. Simulation results show that the robot exhibits locomotion utilizing environment effectively.