Motion control of a snakelike robot

Sliding, creeping and climbing are easy for real snakes but not for robots. We attempt to build a robot which can move as similar to real snakes as possible. The first version of our robot, GMD-Snake, was constructed in 1996. It was able to creep on a plain surface, to cross obstacles, and to follow a light source. A re-design was then started to enhance and improve the snake's abilities. An important part of the work is to build a simulation tool, which enables the designer to generate efficient motion and can be used as a basis for motion control. The modeling and simulation tool MOSES was developed for planar motion, where the wheels drive the articulated body and coordinated bending of several active joints causing spatial motion. The simulation is based on the fact that the real system will move in such a way that only a minimum of energy is required.