Robotics System—Elephant Trunk Type Elastic Manipulator Combined with a Quadruped Walking Machine

Abstract

The last years have brought several publications in the field of combined system, namely manipulator located on a mobile robot. This paper describes the design of mechanical and control systems, which will be able to perform different manipulation and locomotion activities. A method of analysis of a manipulator with flexible links, employ finite element method, is proposed. The legs of the walking machine imitate the limbs of mammals (rabbits, dogs, horses), so forelegs are different from hind legs. The mathematical model of such a walking machine includes the model of the mechanical part of the system (this part executes the movement) as well as the control part of the system. For the execution part a concept of indirect control is introduced. In this paper same problems concerning the following of a given trajectory and the so called balancing procedure are presented.