A fast mesoscale quadruped robot using piezocomposite actuators

Abstract

SUMMARYThis paper introduces the design, analysis, and experimental results of a fast mesoscale (12 cm length) quadruped mobile robot that employs unconventional actuators. Four legs of the robot are actuated by two pieces of piezocomposite actuator named LIPCA, which enables the robot to achieve the bounding gait with only one degree of freedom per leg. The forward locomotion is obtained by a creative idea in the design and the speed can be controlled by changing the frequency of actuators. The mechanism of power transfer has been improved in order to use the actuation power more efficiently. Two small RC-servo motors are added to control the locomotion direction. In addition, a small power supply and control circuit is developed that is fit for the robot. Our experiments show that the robot can locomote as fast as about two times its body length per second with the circuit board and a battery installed. The robot is also able to change the heading direction in a controlled way and is capable of continuous operation for 35 min.