Engineering the locusts: Hind leg modelling towards the design of a bio-inspired space hopper

Abstract

The mechanical operation of a biologically inspired robot hopper is presented. This design is based on the hind leg dynamics and jumping gait of a desert locust (schistocerca gregaria). The biological mechanism is represented as a lumped mass system. This emulates the muscle activation sequence and gait responsible for the long, coordinated jump of locusts, whilst providing an engineering equivalent for the design of a biological inspired hopper for planetary exploration.Despite the crude simplification, performance compares well against biological data found in the literature and scaling towards size more typical of robotic realisation are considered from an engineering point of view. This 1 aspect makes an important contribution to knowledge as it quantifies the balance between biological similarity and efficiency of the biomimetic hopping mechanism. Further, this work provides useful information towards the biomimetic design of a hopper vehicle whilst the analysis uncover the range maximisation conditions for powered flight at constant thrust by analytic means. The proposed design bridges concepts looking at the gait dynamics and designs oriented to extended, full powered trajectories.

Jumping Robot with Initial Body Posture Adjustment and a Self-Righting Mechanism

“…The jumping processes of locusts have been extensively investigated [23]. During its jump phase, the centre of mass (COM) of the locust's body travels along an almost perfect line, which is parallel to the line drawn from the distal end of the tibia through the proximal end of the femur [24].…”

“…In nature, a locust will first orient its body to the desired direction with its forelegs [21] and then propel its jumps via rapid movement of its hindlegs, thereby converting stored energy to the acceleration of its body [22]. The jumping processes of locusts have been extensively investigated [23]. During its jump phase, the centre of mass (COM) of the locust's body travels along an almost perfect line, which is parallel to the line drawn from the distal end of the tibia through the proximal end of the femur [24].…”

A New Mechanism for Soft Landing in Robotic Space Exploration

“…Hashimoto, in the same year, proposed a landing system for cubesat-sized landers [31]. Even in 2016, Punzo et al presented a lander mechanism geometry inspired by the hind-legs of locusts [32].…”

Optimal Stiffness Design for an Exhaustive Parallel Compliance Matrix in Multiactuator Robotic Limbs

“…In this paper, we rigorously develop an optimization method, which, given a fixed task (e.g., walking at 3 mph, or any arbitrary task, which can be modeled by a set of force and velocity trajectories), will find an optimal parallel stiffness, which minimizes one of three fitness metrics, which we suggest. Another area where parallel springs are implemented in multijoint robotic limbs is in hoppers such as the one described by Punzo and McGookin [11]. The paper describes their leg design, which includes several springs: one across the knee, one across the ankle, and one along the length of the tibia.…”