Mechanism Design and Simulation Analysis of an Underactuated Hexapod Robot

Shuowen Gu; Xiumin Shi; Yuming Qi; Zhiguo Yang; Minjun Xu

doi:10.6919/ICJE.202605_12(5).0025

Authors

Shuowen Gu
Xiumin Shi
Yuming Qi
Zhiguo Yang
Minjun Xu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6919/ICJE.202605_12(5).0025

Keywords:

Underactuated; Hexapod Robot; Kinematic Model; ADAMS Analysis.

Abstract

To reduce the control complexity and algorithm development difficulty of conventional hexapod robots (which require 18 servo motors), a leg mechanism for a hexapod robot based on the underactuated principle was designed using SolidWorks. This design omits the ankle joint servo, instead using a single servo combined with a tendon-driven transmission system to actuate both the knee joint and ankle joint in a coupled manner, while a torsion spring provides the restoring torque required for leg lifting. A kinematic model of the leg was established based on the D-H parameter method, and both forward and inverse kinematic analyses of the foot-end effector were performed. The desired foot-end trajectory was obtained through MATLAB simulation. Dynamic simulation analysis of the mechanical leg mechanism was carried out using ADAMS, which verified the correctness and feasibility of the above underactuated structural design and theoretical model, providing a theoretical basis for the development of a physical prototype of the underactuated hexapod robot.

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