Reinforcement learning is very effec#ive for robot learning. Because it does not need prior knowledge and has higher capability of reactive and adaptive behaviors. In our previous works, we proposed new reinforce learning algorithm: "Q-learning with Dynamic Structuring of Exploration Space Based on Genetic Algorithm (QDSEGA)". It is designed for complicated systems with large action-state space...

This paper develops and experimentally validates a 3D-printed snake robot prototype. Its structure is designed to allocate limited room for each functional module (including an external power module, battery power module, the wireless control and transmission module and some detective sensors), so as to ensure the snake robot works in different environments. In order to control and track the sn...

Snake robots can contact their environments along their whole bodies. This distributed contact makes them versatile and robust locomotors, but also makes controlling them a challenging problem involving high-dimensional configuration spaces, with no direct way to break their motion down into “driving” and “steering” actions. In this paper, we use concepts from geometric mechanics—e.g., expanded...

The snakes can adopt manifold gaits and its motion has the characteristics of catholicity, ground adaptability, scalability, stability and high efficiency. This motivates the designing of multi-link wheeled snake robot using the principal of differential friction and Active Cord Mechanism (ACM) to produce serpentine movement. This paper focuses on the designing of the motor controller using fre...

This paper presents an analysis of snake locomotion that explains how non-uniform viscous ground friction conditions enable snake robots to locomote forward on a planar surface. The explanation is based on a simple mapping from link velocities normal to the direction of motion into propulsive forces in the direction of motion. From this analysis, a controller for a snake robot is proposed. A Po...

An inchworm-like robot is a mobile robot that imitates the locomotion pattern of a natural inchworm. Inchworm or snake like robots can crawl or move in highly constrained environment such as maintenance conduit for buildings and factories, and human intestines and blood vessels. In this paper, the development a planar inchworm robot based on the basic inchworm motion is presented. The motion is...

For a mobile robot undergoing serpentine locomotion, an accurate dynamic model is a fundamental requirement for optimization, control, navigation, and learning algorithms. Such algorithms can be readily implemented for traditional rigid robots, but remain a challenge for nonlinear and low-bandwidth soft robotic systems. This article addresses the theoretical modeling of the dynamics of a pressu...

In nature, snakes can gracefully traverse a wide range of different and complex environments. Snake robots that can mimic this behaviour could be fitted with sensors and transport tools to hazardous or confined areas that other robots and humans are unable to access. In order to carry out such tasks, snake robots must have a high degree of awareness of their surroundings (i.e., perception-drive...