TAOYAKA V: a multi-legged robot, successfully combining walking and climbing mechanisms

In our previous research, we developed a robot that can climb various columnar objects, without measuring the shape and size, by mimicking the motion of an octopus. However, the octopus-like motion is achieved through the flexibility of the legs, which are too soft to walk on the ground. The goal of this research is to develop a robot that can both walk on the ground and climb pipes. To achieve these goals, we propose a switchable leg that is flexible to optimize the climbing ability but rigid enough, when needed, to facilitate walking. From the results of our experiments, we were able to confirm that the legs which we developed were stiff enough to reliably walk on the ground, and the mechanism for flexibility makes it highly adaptable to various pipes when climbing.