Modular configuration design for a controlled fall

Much like a falling cat can reorient itself to land on its feet, a climbing robot should also reorient itself to minimize damage during a fall. This paper presents and analyzes the dynamic motion of a modular robot, called CKbot righting itself during a fall. It presents a mathematical model of the falling system that correlates well with experimental reorientation results about one axis. The model also explains why the the process of flipping around is practical only about the long axis of the robot. For more robust orientation correction, a different configuration of CKbot and a new motion plan is presented that corrects for all forms of posture error.