The Effect of Different Scales on the Crawling Rate of Bionic Snake Robot

Abstract

Inspired by the S winding movement of snakes in nature, and based on the analysis of the movement principle of snakes, the design of a kind of bionic snake robot driven by single motor is proposed. Its core mechanism consists of a spatial helix structure projected on the plane as a transverse wave and a series of articulated link clusters with touch feet (scale-like). The spiral motion of helical structure can be realized by single motor energy supply, and then the transverse wave motion of the link cluster is driven, and the snake's curve bionic motion is realized. Based on virtual prototyping technology, the motion simulation of different shaped touch feet structure is carried out. 3D printing technology is used to produce a prototype. A series of experiments are designed to compare the forward and backward motion of snake robot with different shaped touch feet. The experimental results show that the curved and oblique contact feet can make the bionic robot snake have high speed, verifying the feasibility and effectiveness of the design. This study aims to provide a new pattern of motion for the research of bionic snake robot.