Validation of Simulation-Based Morphology Design of a Six-Legged Walking Robot

Abstract :

In this paper, an evaluation of a simulation-based morphology design is presented. The designed system is a six-legged walking and climbing robot, developed within the context of the SpaceClimber project. The robot should be able to traverse rough terrain and to climb in lunar craters. In the design phase of the morphology, an extensive use of real-time simulation and evolutionary computation was made. The resulting morphology, obtained by evolutionary optimization, was used to design a real-world robot. By comparing the physical behaviour of the real and the simulated robot, an evaluation of the simulationbased design approach is performed. The question is answered if the performance of the real robot fulfils the expectations generated by the simulated robot.

Keywords :

Space Robotics, Simulation-Based Design, Six-Legged Walking Robot