Development of snake-like robot with rotational elastic actuators

The long-term goal of this study is to develop a snake-like robot which can move in the three-dimensional space. Jumping and climbing are examples of such motion. To realize the three-dimensional locomotion, the robot weight should be light, and the actuator power should be strong. The robot requires actuators with high-powered output and quick response, but such actuators tend to be heavy. To resolve the problem, the robot uses rotational elastic actuators which consist of a light and small motor and a spring used to store energy so as to realize instantaneous high power output and quick response. The joints of the robot need to have 2-DOF. To realize a 2-DOF joint, a universal joint is utilized as the joint mechanism. The entire body of the robot is designed to connect some modules consisting of the actuator, the joint and two links. The motion equations of the developed robot are derived by the Projection Method. The mechanism and the effectiveness of the developed robot are verified through numerical simulations.