A Study on the Effect of Belly‐Dragging Locomotion on a Robot that Mimics a Heavy Reptile

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of tortoise‐inspired locomotion on enhancing energy efficiency in legged robots. Tortoises, known for their high locomotion efficiency, provide a unique model for robot and gait design, where their specific gait and posture significantly contribute to energy efficiency. This study hypothesizes that the gait and belly‐dragging posture of tortoises can improve the energy efficiency of robots. To test this hypothesis, a quadruped robot mimicking these tortoise characteristics is developed, utilizing the cost of transport (CoT) as a measure of energy efficiency. Dynamic simulations and real‐world experiments are conducted, varying parameters like robot size, mass, friction coefficient, and Froude number, to validate the generality of the findings. The results indicate that both belly dragging, a postural characteristic of tortoises, and their diagonal gait significantly lower the robot's CoT. This suggests that the energy‐efficient locomotion of tortoises, specifically the diagonal gait with belly dragging, is transferable to robotic platforms to enhance energy efficiency. The tortoise‐inspired robot design offers significant potential in applications such as search and rescue operations, space exploration, and payload transportation. Furthermore, the tortoise‐inspired locomotion strategy can be effectively integrated with other research focusing on energy efficiency improvements through mechanical structures or control strategies.