| MechaRoach II is a hexapod robot that can walk on horizontal and inclined surfaces, and was designed to test strategies for transitioning between the two. The locomotion principles that allow cockroaches to make these transitions have been studied and mechanisms using abstractions of those principles have been developed for the robot. These principles included usage of features of leg morphology, leg compliance, gait adaptation, and body flexion. MechaRoach II has a single drive motor, a motor for steering, and a motor to actuate a body flexion joint. The single drive motor powers all six legs, and each leg uses 4-bar mechanisms to recreate cockroach-like foot trajectories. Cockroaches have been shown to flex their bodies downward between the first and second thoracic segments or rear their bodies upward using their middle legs during transitions between climbing on vertical surfaces and walking on horizontal ones. Similarly, MechaRoach II's body joint rears the front of the robot upward or downward during transitioning. The robot normally walks in a tripod gait with contralateral legs 180 degrees out of phase, but uses passive torsionally compliant devices to bring contralateral legs into phase for climbing. The robot measures 66cm long, 40cm wide, and 10cm tall. At 7kg, MechaRoach II has a weight similar to a cockroach scaled up to its size. Although power-autonomous, the robot requires a human operator communicating to it by way of radio-control. |
