Body-Limb Coordination Mechanism for Quadruped Robot with Soft Body Trunk

Abstract

Quadrupeds exhibit diverse gait patterns depending on their locomotion speed. It is believed that they select the optimal gait pattern for energy efficiency. It has been suggested that changes in whole–body movement occur during gait transitions. Elucidating this intricate mechanism inherent in gait generation is expected to contribute to the fields of biology and robotics. However, previous studies have often focused on specific animal species, leading to a lack of unified discussion regarding their mechanisms. In this study, we hypothesize that real–time adaptive coordination mechanisms occur through sensory feedback from the deformation of the soft body. As a starting point, we propose a body-limb coordination mechanism that utilizes the soft body trunk. Using a two–dimensional physical simulator developed in this study, we successfully replicated locomotion patterns such as walking, trotting, and galloping, resembling those of quadrupeds.