四脚ロボットの効率的な頷き歩行に活用可能な頸部の開発

抄録

Modern-day quadruped robots are expanding their versatility on tasks like patrolling and manipulating by the implementation of an additional robot manipulator like the neck of the animal. During locomotion, However, the extra robotic arm harms the robot’s locomotor capability and efficiency due to the additional weight. To solve this problem, this study focuses on “nodding behavior” of quadrupeds. Quadrupeds(e.g., horses) likely swing down and up their large head and neck in specific timings during walking, consequently saving energetic loss due to vertical motion of the center of mass. This paper develops a simple neck model inspired by the anatomical structure of the horse’s neck and elucidates the relationship between neck angle and resultant torque. The results suggest that anatomical neck structure may affect the effective range of neck angle during the nodding walking behavior for efficient locomotion.