Wireless measurement and control system for a bio-inspired mini-robot

According to the hybrid actuation mechanism of the proposed bio-inspired mini-robot, a wireless measurement and control system based on magnetic field and radio signal was designed. This system is used to locate and control the bio-inspired mini-robot which consists of a measurement subsystem and a control subsystem. In the measurement subsystem, differential magnetic sensor module and video detection module were designed to achieve the position and direction of the mini-robot; in the control subsystem, uniform magnetic field generated by Helmholtz coils was used to adjust the direction of mini-robot, and PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) signal control module was used to change the velocity of mini-robot. Utilizing the measurement subsystem, positions and directions of mini-robot were obtained by processing the signal detected with magnetic sensors, and compared with the video tracking results. Utilizing the dynamic model and the control strategy designed, closed-loop simulation was carried out for mini-robot to track an L-shaped trajectory. This experiment was also performed on the wireless measurement and control platform. Simulated and experimental results demonstrated the accuracy of the dynamic model and the attitude agility of the hybrid mini-robot. Results verified that the wireless measurement and control system could effectively control the bio-inspired mini-robot.