Walking robot with a circulating gait

Abstract

The Ambler walking robot has been developed specifically for autonomous exploration of planetary and lunar surfaces. The Ambler, which maintains its body on a level trajectory while walking, has unique orthogonal legs that are stacked under the body instead of the traditional animal-like arrangement of legs around the body. The resulting stacked configuration leads to a novel circulating gait that promises to improve mobility in terrains of extreme roughness. The Ambler's level body motion, orthogonal legs, and circulating gait greatly simplify physical control, terrain model construction, and motion planning-all of which are traditional impediments to autonomous travel across rough terrain.