Creepy Climber and Leaping Robots - Biologically Inspired Design

Nishant Balakrishnan and Subramaniam Balakrishnan

ABSTRACT: This paper presents the design evolved for two types of biologically inspired robots. They have the ability to creep, climb and leap. One of the robots was modeled after observing the motion of an earthworm and the other utilizes a design that combines the motion of an earth worm and a leech. A number of actuators located at different sections of the robot control the motion of various linkages and mechanisms incorporated in the design. The robots use onboard sensors to monitor critical positions of various members of the robot for control purposes. Both the robots are totally controlled by micro-controllers that were programmed using an external personal computer. A working model of the two types of robot has been built and tested and the results are quite promising and show that the complex biological motions of insects and creatures can indeed be recreated with innovative engineering design.

KEYWORDS: Biologically Inspired Machines, Robots

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