Cam Drive Step Mechanism of a Quadruped Robot

Bionic quadruped robots received considerable worldwide research attention. For a quadruped robot walking with steady paces on a flat terrain, using a cam drive control mechanism instead of servomotors provides theoretical and practical benefits as it reduces the system weight, cost, and control com...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Qun Sun, Chong Wang, Dongjie Zhao, Cuihua Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2014-01-01
Series:Journal of Robotics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/851680
Description
Summary:Bionic quadruped robots received considerable worldwide research attention. For a quadruped robot walking with steady paces on a flat terrain, using a cam drive control mechanism instead of servomotors provides theoretical and practical benefits as it reduces the system weight, cost, and control complexities; thus it may be more cost beneficial for some recreational or household applications. This study explores the robot step mechanism including the leg and cam drive control systems based on studying the bone structure and the kinematic step sequences of dog. The design requirements for the cam drive robot legs have been raised, and the mechanical principles of the leg operating mechanism as well as the control parameters have been analyzed. A cam drive control system was constructed using three cams to control each leg. Finally, a four-leg demo robot was manufactured for experiments and it showed stable walking patterns on a flat floor.
ISSN:1687-9600
1687-9619