泥濘地を歩行可能な多脚ロボットのための受動的足部機構

抄録

This paper proposes a foot attachment for a multi-legged robot to enhance the ability to moves in muddy terrain such as rice paddies. The foot mechanism is designed to get buoyancy by passively extending field contact area during stance phase. Also, the extended foot mechanism passively closes and detaches from the field while changing to the swing phase. Usually, the viscosity of muddy terrain causes the resistance force for the foot to remain on the surface, which causes the robot to pull down the other foot onto the surface. To overcome this problem, the proposed foot is given a rolling end. The viscos resistance is reduced by the rolling end, which prevents the other legs from sinking into surface. The prototype of the proposed mechanism was attached to a 6-legged robot and tested in hard and soft, muddy terrain environments. The results showed that the proposed mechanism had advantages in both of muddy terrains.