Leg Shaping and Event-Driven Control of a Small-Scale, Low-DoF, Two-Mode Robot

TL;DR

This paper presents a small 10cm robot capable of switching between legged and rolling modes using simple leg shaping and event-driven control, achieving efficient locomotion with minimal DoF and sensor data.

Contribution

It introduces a novel design and control method enabling multi-modal locomotion in a low-DoF, small-scale robot, simplifying complexity and improving efficiency.

Findings

Achieved 0.4 body lengths/sec in legged mode

Achieved 2.2 body lengths/sec in rolling mode

Low cost of transport in both modes

Abstract

Among small-scale mobile robots, multi-modal locomotion can help compensate for limited actuator capabilities. However, supporting multiple locomotion modes or gaits in small terrestrial robots typically requires complex designs with low locomotion efficiency. In this work, legged and rolling gaits are achieved by a 10~cm robot having just two degrees of freedom (DoF). This is acheived by leg shaping that facilitates whole body rolling and event-driven control that maintains motion using simple inertial sensor measurements. Speeds of approximately 0.4 and 2.2 body lengths per second are achieved in legged and rolling modes, respectively, with low cost of transport. The proposed design approach and control techniques may aid in design of further miniaturized robots reliant on transducers with small range-of-motion.