| To date, no method has been identified that utilizes morphological and control parameters of an under-actuated system in order to create periodic oscillations of states by altering a system's mode shapes. Phased periodic oscillations of system states are relevant in robot and animal locomotion. For example, the gait of a snake robot utilizes phased oscillations of segments in order to generate forward movement. As is evident in many natural systems, the interactions between direct actuation, sensory feedback, and morphological characteristics are all vital to create periodic oscillations that generate locomotion. This thesis introduces novel methodologies of creating periodic oscillations in under-actuated systems by altering mode shapes through design of physical and control parameters. Currently, it is not well understood how to design a system's modes to create desired periodic movements given a prescribed forcing function. It is also not well understood how to embed desired modes into system dynamics. The benefits of such methods are important to a large range of potential dynamic systems spanning from soft robots to rigid structures. In order to achieve this goal the conversion of designer-specified trajectories into mode shapes, and then the creation of those mode shapes in hardware, will be addressed. |
