An Autonomous Micro Walking Machine with Articulated Body

Abstract This paper describes of a lightweight, small size walking robot currently being developed at ULB as a conceptual vehicle for planetary exploration. The robot consists of three articulated bodies connected by universal joints. Each body has two legs with two degrees of freedom each. Each universal joint is provided with two actuators and torque sensors; a compliant behaviour is achieved by force feedback. This particular device improves considerably the agility of the walking vehicle by allowing the central body to follow the ground profile. Furthermore, the vehicle can walk on both sides and can recover from roll-over thanks to the actuated universal joints which allow an autonomous transfer from back to belly.