Gait Generation for Inchworm-Like Robot Locomotion Using Finite State Model

The gait of a multi-segment inchworm robot is a series of actuator actions that will change the shape of the robot to generate a net motion. In this article, we model the multisegment inchworm robot as a jinite state automaton. Gait generation is posed as a search problem on the graph described by the automaton with prescribed state transitions. The state transitions are defined based on the kinematics of robot locomotion. The auxilia~ actuator concept is introduced. Single-stride and multi-stride gait generations are discussed. Single-stride gaits exhibit faulttolerant and real-time computation features that are necessary in actual applications. Both computer simulation and expen”mental hardware platform are developed for various aspects of the gait generation and planning.