Paper:
Motion Design of a Snake Robot to Move Between Two Adjacent Walls
Ryo Ariizumi*1, Hiroto Mizuno*2, Hiroki Sasaki*1, Toru Asai*3, Shun-ichi Azuma*4, and Motoyasu Tanaka*5
*1Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
2-24-16 Naka-cho, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
*2Nagoya University
Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8603, Japan
*3Chubu University
1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan
*4Kyoto University
Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
*5The University of Electro-Communications
1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
This paper proposes a novel motion design for a snake robot to move freely in a space between two adjacent walls. Snake robots are expected to be useful in several difficult environments because of their high degrees of freedom. Particularly, they are suitable for use in narrow spaces. However, freely moving in narrow spaces, such as spaces between two adjacent walls, remains an open problem. In this study, inspired by helical rolling motion, which is used to move on a pipe, we propose a novel motion method that enables a snake robot to move freely in a narrow space between two adjacent walls. The motion and model are validated using physical simulations.
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