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RicMonk: A Three-Link Brachiation Robot with Passive Grippers for Energy-Efficient Brachiation

Shourie S. Grama, Mahdi Javadi, Shivesh Kumar, Hossein Zamani Boroujeni, Frank Kirchner

Abstract

This paper presents the design, analysis, and performance evaluation of RicMonk, a novel three-link brachiation robot equipped with passive hook-shaped grippers. Brachiation, an agile and energy-efficient mode of locomotion observed in primates, has inspired the development of RicMonk to explore versatile locomotion and maneuvers on ladder-like structures. The robot's anatomical resemblance to gibbons and the integration of a tail mechanism for energy injection contribute to its unique capabilities. The paper discusses the use of the Direct Collocation methodology for optimizing trajectories for the robot's dynamic behaviors and stabilization of these trajectories using a Time-varying Linear Quadratic Regulator. With RicMonk we demonstrate bidirectional brachiation, and provide comparative analysis with its predecessor, AcroMonk - a two-link brachiation robot, to demonstrate that the presence of a passive tail helps improve energy efficiency. The system design, controllers, and software implementation are publicly available on GitHub and the video demonstration of the experiments can be viewed YouTube.

RicMonk: A Three-Link Brachiation Robot with Passive Grippers for Energy-Efficient Brachiation

Abstract

This paper presents the design, analysis, and performance evaluation of RicMonk, a novel three-link brachiation robot equipped with passive hook-shaped grippers. Brachiation, an agile and energy-efficient mode of locomotion observed in primates, has inspired the development of RicMonk to explore versatile locomotion and maneuvers on ladder-like structures. The robot's anatomical resemblance to gibbons and the integration of a tail mechanism for energy injection contribute to its unique capabilities. The paper discusses the use of the Direct Collocation methodology for optimizing trajectories for the robot's dynamic behaviors and stabilization of these trajectories using a Time-varying Linear Quadratic Regulator. With RicMonk we demonstrate bidirectional brachiation, and provide comparative analysis with its predecessor, AcroMonk - a two-link brachiation robot, to demonstrate that the presence of a passive tail helps improve energy efficiency. The system design, controllers, and software implementation are publicly available on GitHub and the video demonstration of the experiments can be viewed YouTube.
Paper Structure (12 sections, 7 equations, 7 figures, 3 tables)

This paper contains 12 sections, 7 equations, 7 figures, 3 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Mechatronics
  3. Design strategy
  4. Electrical implementation
  5. Behavior State Machine
  6. Gripper Heuristics
  7. Trajectory Optimization for Swing Behavior
  8. Trajectory Stabilization
  9. Experimental Validation
  10. Robustness Tests
  11. Comparitive Analysis
  12. Conclusion and Outlook

Figures (7)

  • Figure 1: RicMonk performing brachiation maneuvers
  • Figure 2: Exploded view of the RicMonk
  • Figure 3: Fixed base model of the robot
  • Figure 4: Illustration of bi-directional brachiation maneuver
  • Figure 5: Snapshots of RicMonk performing multiple backward brachiation cycles. First row corresponds to a ZB maneuver (left to right), while second and third rows correspond to consecutive FB maneuvers (left to right). Green and red dots indicate start and end points respectively
  • ...and 2 more figures