Walking and crawling with ALoF: a robot for autonomous locomotion on four legs
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the robotic quadrupedal platform ALoF that is designed to aid research on perception in legged locomotion.
Design/methodology/approach
A well‐balanced size and complexity of the robot results in a robust platform that is easy to handle, yet able to perform complex maneuvers as well as to carry sophisticated 3D sensors. A very large range of motion allows the robot to actively explore its surroundings through haptic interaction, and to choose between a wide range of planning options.
Findings
This robot was employed and tested in the lunar robotics challenge organized by the European Space Agency, for which the authors also developed a novel crawling gait, in which the weight of the robot is alternately supported by scaled plates under the main body and the four shank segments. This allowed for stable locomotion in steep terrain with very loose soil.
Originality/value
The paper describes how a very large range of motion allows the robot to actively explore its surroundings through haptic interaction, and to choose between a wide range of planning options. The paper describes how the authors developed a novel crawling gait, in which the weight of the robot is alternately supported by scaled plates under the main body and the four shank segments.
Keywords
Citation
Remy, C.D., Baur, O., Latta, M., Lauber, A., Hutter, M., Hoepflinger, M.A., Pradalier, C. and Siegwart, R. (2011), "Walking and crawling with ALoF: a robot for autonomous locomotion on four legs", Industrial Robot, Vol. 38 No. 3, pp. 264-268. https://doi.org/10.1108/01439911111122761
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited