MultiMo-Bat: A biologically inspired integrated jumping–gliding robot

This paper presents the design, development, and verification of a miniature integrated jumping and gliding robot, the MultiMo-Bat, which is inspired by the locomotion strategy of vampire bats. This 115.6 g robot exhibits high jumping and gliding performance, reaching heights of over 3 m, to overcom...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The International journal of robotics research 2014-10, Vol.33 (12), p.1511-1529
Main Authors: Woodward, Matthew A., Sitti, Metin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actuation
Design engineering
Gliding
Integrated approach
Jumping
Locomotion
Obstacles
Robotics
Robots
Strategy
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper presents the design, development, and verification of a miniature integrated jumping and gliding robot, the MultiMo-Bat, which is inspired by the locomotion strategy of vampire bats. This 115.6 g robot exhibits high jumping and gliding performance, reaching heights of over 3 m, to overcome obstacles in the environment. The MultiMo-Bat was developed by a novel integrated design strategy that combines jumping and gliding locomotion modes and minimizes the necessary actuation and structural components by sharing a significant portion of the components required for each mode; nearly 70% of the total robot mass is utilized by both modes. This results in overall low mass, low volume, and high co-operation between the modes which allows for the preservation of over 80% of the performance of the independent jumping locomotion mode when combined. This not only allows for two high-performance locomotion modes, but also for all of the necessary actuation components to be on board. Key considerations and components of the design are discussed in the context of the integrated design approach. A prototype of the system is constructed and experimentally tested in various configurations to elucidate the overall system and integration performance. Finally, metrics are developed to begin to quantify the level and performance of the integrated approach as well as allow it to be compared to other mechanical and biological systems. This type of jumping and gliding robot can be used to explore, inspect, and monitor unstructured environments for security and environment monitoring applications.
ISSN:0278-3649
1741-3176
DOI:10.1177/0278364914541301