Movement Simulation of a Five-Link Crawling Robot with Controlled Friction Forces

Abstract

This paper considers the motion of a five-link crawling robot equipped with special friction elements for the periodic clamping of the links along a rough horizontal surface. A classification of the modes of motion depending on the presence of obstacles on the surface and ways of crossing them is presented. One of the crawling modes along the surface without obstacles or with obstacles when the end links are detached from the surface and the adjacent ones rotate by a given angle in the motion plane is analyzed. The influence of the control parameters on the average robot speed is established.