Design and modeling of hexapod robot using telescopic legs connected to pivot joints at the hips

Abstract

Hexapod robots are widely used in applications such as search and rescue, exploration, and surveillance due to their improved mobility and stability on uneven terrain. However, conventional hexapod robots typically suffer from issues such as heavy weight and complex design, which limits their effectiveness in certain scenarios. In this paper, we propose a new hexapod robot that addresses the issues of weight and complexity often associated with conventional hexapod robots. Our proposed design uses telescopic legs connected to pivot joints at the hips, resulting in a two-DOFs-leg configuration. The robot’s six legs are aligned with a parallelepiped body, with each leg configured with a revolute joint and a prismatic joint. With a total of twelve degrees of freedom (DOFs), the proposed robot can move in a straight line or turn. Our solution for stabilizing the robot’s horizontally oriented body on uneven terrain, using analytical kinematics, inverse kinematics, and geometric analysis, is a valuable contribution. Additionally, we present simulation of path generation and gait design for various inclined planes and stairs using a virtual prototype modeled in MATLAB/Simulink Simscape Multibody. The results of our simulated and physical prototype experiments demonstrate that the proposed design and body control algorithm effectively maintain the orientation of the robot’s body usually stable while it moves on different types of surfaces. Overall, our proposed hexapod robot using telescopic legs offers a promising solution for achieving improved mobility and stability on uneven terrain, with reduced weight and complexity compared to conventional hexapod robots.