Design of a Mechatronic Endoskeleton Robot for Inspection Tasks: Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) for Serpentine Locomotion with Stability Analysis

An advantage of bio-inspired robots is the versatility of their locomotion on a wide range of terrains that conventional robots are not able to traverse. The snake-like robot, which is a mechanism designed to move in the manner of a biological snake, is an example of a bio-inspired platform. This paper aims to implement and validate, using real and simulation tests on flat terrain, a snake-like endoskeleton robot that permits serpentine movement with adaptive control capabilities. The prototype mechatronic robot was comprised of eleven segments that were 3D printed sequentially. A simulation using Matlab’s Multibody Mechanics tool determines the necessary torques for each motor. In this simulation, a parameterized virtual model of the robot is created, where rectilinear gaits are programmed. In accordance with simulation and experimental results, the robot undertakes different times to reach the goal trajectory or end points depending on the frequency, angular position, and wave length (duty cycle). As a result, there is a high degree of similarity between the simulation tests and those conducted with the prototype endoskeleton. Furthermore, the robot is equipped with machine vision capabilities that allow it to detect faults within oil and gas pipes for the purpose of inspection and maintenance. Furthermore, a Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) method based on Lyapunov stability analysis and MIT rules is proposed. The theoretical analysis and numerical simulation show that the designed trajectory tracking control law can make the multi-joint snake-like robot track the trajectory of the front joint when the robot encounters disturbances and stabilize the angular position and velocity of the first two head joints when disturbances occur.