Stability and energy consumption of laterally walking gait in crablike robots

To enhance the motion stability of laterally walking gaits and reduce systematic energy consumption in a crablike robot, the normalized energy stability margin and energy consumption ratio were set as indicators to evaluate gait and pace and gait parameters. Based on dynamic analyses, multi-constrained equations of the tip-point force distribution were derived and a pseudoinverse method was used to optimize torque distribution in all robot joints. Considering the mechanical energy cost and energy loss due to heat emission in a DC motor, a mathematical model for obtaining energy consumption ratio of a crablike robot was formulated. Based on the commonly used constant-phase increment gait approach for a multi-legged robot, the influence on systematic energy consumption and the motion stability, duty factors, stroke, and relative phase of ipsilateral adjacent legs were analyzed in detail. Results show that while the motion efficiency of a crablike robot decreases with increasing relative phase of the ipsilateral adjacent legs, its motion stability improves. Thus, using specific walking speed and duty factors and by rational selection of the relative phase, systematic energy consumption in crablike robots can be reduced by 20%~30%. © 2017, Editorial Department of Journal of HEU. All right reserved.