Path-tracking control of a snake-like robot using screw drive mechanism

This paper presents a path-tracking control method for a snake-like robot using screw drive mechanism. The operators are required to command only one unit in the head, then commands for the rest of the units are automatically calculated to track the path of the preceding units. Although the velocity commands for exact path tracking can be calculated using past command signals due to the omni-directional property of the robot, a simpler control law without using past signals is adopted from the implementation viewpoint. Asymptotic tracking error is investigated based on a Lyapunov approach for the case of a constant curvature. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the proposed method is investigated by computer simulations and laboratory experiments.