Two-output CPG phased network locomotion control for modular robot

Abstract:

The modular robot has the characteristic of diversity configuration and multi-mode locomotion. To make the robot more flexible and the control of multi-mode locomotion easier, combined with the feature of lattice and chain type self-reconfigurable robots, the UBot module based on the universal joint has been developed. According to the mutual inhibition relation of two joints in each module, combined with biological central pattern generator (CPG) principle, the CPG controller with two outputs has been designed. The two-output CPG controller can control the UBot robot's locomotion effectively by adjusting the connective weights among CPGs and two outputs' relation in each CPG and getting different phases. The control method has been used to control three motions: quadruped motion, squirm motion and multi-segmented worm motion. The simulation has been successfully done in ADAMS, besides, the experiment of the three motions have been done on the UBot modular robotic platform. The experiment results have proved the Two-output CPG phased network for modular robot locomotion control to be practical and effective.