The effect of robot morphology on locomotion from the perspective of spinal engine in a quadruped robot

Abstract

Although the conventional hypothesis which states the coordination of the legs contributes much to locomotion has been widely accepted over the past decades, an alternative one has been proposed with an emphasis on the spine as an engine. In this paper, based on the biological hypothesis of spinal engine, we investigate how morphology of the robot e.g., the choice of actuated joint, the position of rotational joint and the shape and stiffness of the leg, can be adequately exploited to achieve stable and dynamic locomotion. The preliminary experimental results in the real world reveal that the position of rotational joint and shape of the legs are key elements for stable and dynamic locomotion. Based on the results, we discuss the effect of morphology of rear legs, aiming to design a new leg to improve the stability on the spine-driven locomotion.