Analysis of the non-reciprocating legged gait for a hexapod robot based on the ePaddle-EGM

A novel eccentric paddle mechanism based on the epicyclic gear mechanism (ePaddle-EGM) has been proposed to enhance the mobility of amphibious robot for multi-terrain tasks with diverse locomotion gaits. This paper presents a brief description for this mechanism. Based on the feature of ePaddle-EGM, a unique non-reciprocating legged gait planning method is proposed. This method could minimize the negative effect of backlash between gear mesh in the epicyclic gear mechanism. Furthermore, the stable tripod gait for the ePaddle-EGM-based hexapod robot is designed. One of the most important characteristics of this tripod gait is that it is capable of realizing discontinuous locomotion of the body through continuous and unidirectional rotation of joints. In this way, the velocity shock is eliminated and the locomotion accuracy is guaranteed. A series of simulations were conducted to validate the advantages of the robot’s movement.