Ground Reaction Force Feedback Control of a Rocking-driven Tripedal Walking Robot with Telescopic Legs

In this paper, we investigate control principle for tripedal walking locomotion, which is not found in nature. We have already developed a body-driven tripod walking robot, called “Martian II”, which has three fixed legs and active 2-d.o.f. swing arms to generate alternation of ground contact points. Adjusting the input for proper oscillation is difficult, and alternative approaches are needed to enhance the robot's speed. In this study, we developed a new control model of the tripedal walking with the both swing arm and active legs, called “Martian V”, whose legs can extend and contract. We propose control inputs for this feature. We also conducted simulation experiments to analyze the effects of this addition on the robot's movement.