Adaptive One-dimensional Crawling Robot Driven by Simple Decentralized Control Mechanism

Abstract

One-dimensional crawling locomotion, which is employed by creatures such as earthworms and slugs, has garnered the attention of roboticists because it can be used to negotiate narrow spaces for propulsion. However, the previously developed robots are not adaptive enough to the environment. To address this problem, we have recently proposed a simple decentralized control scheme, and showed through simulations that it can adapt to the inclination angle of the terrain. In this study, we demonstrate that a one-dimensional crawling robot that implements a control scheme slightly modified from the previous one can move adaptively in the real world.