Omni-directional Gait of Limb Mechanism Robot Hanging from Grid-like Structure

A method for limb mechanism robots of omni-directional gait hanging from grid-like structure is proposed. Grid-like structure consists of many bars assembled in a matrix in a horizontal plane; its grid spacing is not always constant and unknown. A robot has six legs, and each foot has a hemispherical shape for hooking on the bar. The robot moves in any direction as commanded by tripod gait; it hangs from the grid-like structure using two sets of three legs alternately. The leg gropes for the bar so as to take as long stroke as possible. By increasing joint compliance, the foot contacts the bar softly and detects the contact. Then, using a foot force sensor, the robot ascertains that the foot hooks on the bar. The developed robot ASTERISK can perform omni-directional gait hanging from experimental grid-like structure by the proposed method