Proposal of EARLI for the snake robot's obstacle aided locomotion

In this paper, EARLI (Extended Asymmetrical Reverse Lateral Inhibition) is proposed for the snake robot's obstacle aided locomotion and behavior. The idea of EARLI starts with an original idea of lateral inhibition; although joints rotate in reverse direction compared with the original lateral inhibition; and information of contact affects not only adjacent joints but also a couple of neighboring joints away from a contacting link. Furthermore, distribution of adding torque is empirically set asymmetrically in order to propel the snake robot forward. The algorithm of EARLI is implemented to ODE (Open Dynamics Engine) to see its behavior in simulation environments and to verify its effectiveness. As a result, a behavior emerges in which the the snake robot is pushing obstacles for longer times and moving greater distances than when using original lateral inhibition. In addition, continuous pushing behavior is also observed when an obstacle is located behind the the snake robot.