Relationship between payload and speed in legged locomotion

For legged locomotion the ability to preplan allowable payload given specified operating conditions is important, both in design and high level task planning applications. In this paper, the dependency of payload on vehicle operating speed, a problem peculiar to legged locomotion, is examined via a case study of a hexapod using wave gaits. As a result, a set of closed form analytic expressions describing the payload-speed relationship has been obtained. The solution is based on the assumption of equal leg compliances. The utility of such relationships lies in determining the allowable payload given the vehicle speed and weight or, conversely, in preplanning the payload to be carried and determining the maximum speed at which the vehicle can operate safely.