Dynamic bipedal walking of a dinosaur-like robot with an extant vertebrate's nervous system

SUMMARYIn this study, we attempt to develop a biped dinosaur-like walking robot by focusing on its nervous system as well as its mechanism. We developed a robot ‘Dinobot’ on the basis of palaeontological knowledge on dinosaurs and extant animals. In addition, we employed typical biologically inspired walking gait generation and control methods derived from an extant vertebrate's nervous system. In particular, we utilized a central pattern generator (CPG), which is a locomotion rhythm generator in a vertebrate's spinal cord, to generate the robot's walking rhythm. Moreover, a reflex centre was placed below CPG and it produced joint torque of the legs in the swing and stance phases. Thus, we successfully achieved adaptive 3D dynamic walking generated by the interaction between the original mechanism of dinosaurs and the nervous system of extant animals. Our future goal is to find out a dinosaur's robust locomotive nervous system suitable for its mechanism.

Intelligent Algorithm for Biped Robot for Harvesting Watermelons

Farm working usually involves a harsh environment such as limited work space and soft, unstable or uneven surfaces. High mobility even in such an environment is essential for automating agricultural tasks. Bipedal locomotion is an example of such mobility, but it is statically unstable. Biped robots for farm work must be controlled dynamically to maintain unstable equilibrium. No decisive control strategy for this problem had been mapped. Noting that biped locomotion is periodic and governed by a characteristic rhythm, we proposed control strategy based on locomotion rhythm. In an uncertain environment, the reference rhythm should be modified corresponding to its current state for realizing stable walking. We introduce the concept of ""compliance"" in our rhythm-based locomotion control to modify a priori defined reference rhythm so that the robot maintains its balance. Simulations and experiments demonstrate the feasibility of stable walking in an unfavorably environment.