Polychaete-like Pedundulatory Robotic Locomotion

The polychaete annelid marine worms propel themselves in a variety of challenging locomotion environments by a unique form of tail-to-head body undulations, combined with the synchronized action of numerous parapodial lateral appendages. This combined parapodial and undulatory mode of locomotion is termed pedundulatory in the present work. Robotic analogues of this type of locomotion are being studied, both in simulation, and via experiments with biomimetic robotic prototypes, which combine undulatory movements of their multi-link body with appropriately coordinated parapodial link oscillations. Extensive experimental studies of locomotion on sand demonstrate the potential of the pedundulatory robotic prototypes, especially their rich gait repertoire and their enhanced performance compared to robotic prototypes relying only on body undulations