Modeling and Motion Analysis of Heptagonal Passive Rotating Locomotion Robot

Abstract

This paper investigates the mathematical modeling and basic motion characteristics of a heptagonal passive rotating locomotion robot formed by connecting seven rigid frames via viscoelastic joints. The robot passively rotates on a gentle downhill while maintaining the body shape using the elastic forces around each joint, and has the ability to change the locomotion mode by reshaping its closure according to the road conditions. First, we describe the model assumptions and develop the mathematical equations of motion and collision. Second, we numerically show a typical passive rotating motion on a downhill and analyze the motion characteristics by changing the slope angle while checking the conditions necessary for stable motion generation.