Insect Gait
The aim of many research scientists studying insects in biomimetics is to create robots that are capable of travelling over rough or angled surfaces with the same speed, agility and stability as the insects that currently dominate these terrains (Delcomyn, 2008). The patterns in the gait used by these insects over different terrains at high speeds has been essential to researchers in creating fast moving robots, able to climb over obstacles much higher than ever before possible (Paulson, 2004). The two most important gait patterns under examination are the tripod gait and the metachronal gait (Akimoto et al., 1999). The tripod gait is utelised by insects with a light load that are travelling at high speeds, for instance; a cockroach running across the floor (Akimoto et al., 1999). The insect synchronizes the movement of the front and hind legs on one side of its body with the middle leg of the opposite side, so the remaining legs create a tripod (Akimoto et al., 1999). The two tripods alternate quickly to facilitate rapid movement across a surface (Ritzmann et al., 2004).
Alternatively, metachronal gait (or wave gait) is utelised by insects travelling at a slower speed with a heavier load (Akimoto et al., 1999). The insect moves its legs individually from back to front (see Figure 5) in a wave-like motion (Akimoto et al., 1999). Roboticists have concentrated their research on the tripod gait, as their focus is mainly on achieving the speed and agility of insects such as cockroaches.
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