A CONTROL ALGORITHM FOR HEXAPOD WALKING MACHINE OVER SOFT GROUND

A control algorithm is presented for a hexapod walking machine, with alternating tripod-gait, proceeding over soft ground. The control algorithm is based on a foot-force sensing and is composed of two parts. The first part, which is applied to the leg alternating phase, confirms the support of body weight and generates the ground model using internal sensors. The second, which is applied to the body-propelling phase, compensates for the additional ground-sinkage due to the change of supporting force using the generated ground model. The proposed control algorithm is incorporated into the hexapod walking machine (MELWALK-III) and some basic experiments are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm for three types of ground simulations.