Development Of Measuring System For Insect' 3-dimensional Ground Reaction Force

Gecko'3-dimensional ground reaction force measuring system is used to measure the reaction force between Gecko'feet and the surface when it is crawling on all kinds of surface. This system consists of 3-dimensional force sensor,signal conditioning system and measuring software.The structure and the principle of a 3-dimensional force sensor is introduced. It is used to measure the 3-dimensional gecko's ground reaction force on target surface. The feasibility is proved by structure and modal analysis in Ansys. This sensor has high sensitivity (3mN) in±1.5N full scale range of three directions. It is fit to measure the gecko's ground reaction force on target surface.This system with single sensor is used to measure 3-dimensional ground reaction force generated by individual leg of Gecko when it moving on level and vertical surface. the normal force sustain the weight of Gecko,fore-aft force is used to dirve Gecko'body to move on level surface;Gecko'adhensive force was measured when climbing vertically. fore-aft force sustain the weight of Gecko, in this two situation,the lateral force control the balance of body and turning.The sensor array is made up of many force sensors,it is a 2×8 array with two columns and eight rows,the length is about 240 mm, the width is adjusted by different Gecko. It has a trough to control the right place of sensor,A hole is designed to clamp the sensor. NI's SCXI signal conditioning modules is used in this system,the measuring software is developed in LabVIEW to implement different function.By measuring the different target surface reaction force,we can understand adhesion mechanism and locomotion. The study sheds light on the study of animal's locomotion and the design of bio-inspired robot.