Analysis of body undulation using dynamic model with frictional force for myriapod robot

Myriapoda, having multitudes of legs and an elongated body, can dexterously travel on natural environments. Myriapod locomotion has an advantage over wheeled and tracked vehicles on a rough terrain, because each leg can discretely contact the ground at several points. The authors have attempted, therefore, to develop a light, simple, and adaptive myriapod robot, i-CentiPot, in accordance with the implicit control law given by passive dynamics, which achieved significant mobility against unpredictable environment. The physical model, i-CentiPot 01, showed that the body undulation emerged because of the leg wave, which was similar to that of a real centipede. However, the mechanism of the body undulation was not revealed. This study, therefore, aims at developing a dynamic model of the myriapod robot using frictional force and elucidating how it locomotes.