An Adaptable Robotic Snake using a Compliant Actuated Tensegrity Structure for Locomotion and its Motion Pattern Analysis

The thesis explores the possibilities that using a compliant actuated tensegrity structure to build an adapted robotic snake for locomotion. With the development of modern society, people are relying more and more on robots to assist in their work. The robotic snake is a type of robot that is often used in exploration and relief work on complex terrain due to its unique bionic structure. However, traditional snake-like robots have structures that focus on specific snake-like movement patterns, but cannot actually simulate how the spine and muscles of a snake can work, thus losing out on desirable features such as high energy efficiency and flexibility. In this work, a tensegrity structure is researched to enable a robotic snake to realize the structure and capabilities of a snake. A prototype has been built for experiments: three segments connected by springs and strings which forms a tension network. The prototype is actuated by the change of the tension within the network, just as the muscles in a snake contract and stretch around the spine. Experiments with the prototype show that it can carry out effective rectilinear movement and steering movement on a variety of terrain, and its overall speed is mainly limited by the friction coefficient of the ground. However, because the underside of the body module prevents the module from tilting, the prototype cannot perform serpentine movement. More improvements in the shape design of the body modules and motion control could also be studied in future work.