Design and operation of a tripod walking robot via dynamics simulation

A mechanical design and dynamics walking simulation of anovel tripod walking robot are presented in this paper. Thetripod walking robot consists of three 1-degree-of-freedom(DOF) Chebyshev–Pantograph leg mechanisms with linkagearchitecture. A balancing mechanism is mounted on the bodyof the tripod walking robot to adjust its center of gravity(COG) during walking for balancing purpose. A staticallystable tripod walking gait is performed by synchronizingthe motions of the three leg mechanisms and the balancingmechanism. A three-dimensional model has been elaboratedin SolidWorksR engineering software environment for acharacterization of a feasible mechanical design. Dynamicssimulation has been carried out in the MSC.ADAMSRenvironment with the aim to characterize and to evaluatethe dynamic walking performances of the proposed designwith low-cost easy-operation features. Simulation resultsshow that the proposed tripod walking robot with properinput torques, gives limited reaction forces at the linkagejoints, and a practical feasible walking ability on a flattenground.