Research on smart amphibious hexapod robots

Abstract

The design and simulation of the amphibious hexapod robot is based on the study of the body structure and motion of biological beetles and the surfacing and sinking movements of modern submarines. The amphibious hexapod robot has a rectangular body with six 3 degree of freedom legs symmetrically distributed along the longitudinal centre line of the body, and all joints are driven by stepper motors. The back of the robot is equipped with a thruster and the lower part has a water reservoir structure, which allows the robot to move forward, float and sink in water. The SOLIDWORKS modelling and ADAMS simulations of the robot’s triangular gait, climbing steps, surfacing and sinking, and advancement in the water proved that the amphibious hexapod robot’s motion was smooth and met the design requirements.