Multi-legged robot
多脚ロボットとは？ What is a multi-legged robot?
多脚ロボットとは，一般には4本以上の脚を用いて移動するロボットです．稲垣研究室では，6脚型を中心にさらに脚数が多いムカデ型までを研究対象としています．脚数が多いほど，胴体を支える脚数が増えるために安定性と搬送能力が増すので，不整地での移動や作業に適しています．
Multilegged robots are generally robots that move with four or more legs. Inagaki Laboratory's research focuses on hexapods and even more like centipedes. Such a multi-legged robot has excellent stability and transport capabilities because it can support its body with many legs. Therefore, they are expected to be able to move and work on uneven terrain.
多くの脚の動かし方は？ How to move many legs?
脚の動かし方は多脚ロボットが移動する上で重要です．多くの脚をどの順にどのように動かすかを決めるのが歩行制御です．本研究室では，「接地点追従法：Follow-the-Contact-Point (FCP) gait control」という歩行制御法を開発し，ロボットに搭載しています．接地点追従法の基本原理は，各脚は前脚が接地している場所（接地点）に接地する，というものです．最前脚が良い接地点に接地することができれば，それに続く後脚も接地でき，結果的にロボットは不整地も歩けるようになります．また，脚数が増えても基本的に同じ原理で歩かせることができます．本研究室では，接地点追従法を基本に，接地点計画やバランス制御，反射制御などを組み合わせて歩行性能を向上させる研究をしています．
The way the legs move is important for a multi-legged robot to move. Gait control determines how and in which order many legs are moved. We have developed a gait control method called "Follow-the-Contact-Point (FCP) gait control". The basic principle of the FCP gait control is that each leg contacts the ground point where the front leg contacts the ground point. If the front-most leg can contact a good ground contact point, the following rear leg can also contact the almost same contact point, and as a result, the robot can walk on uneven terrain. The same principle can be applied to walking even if the number of legs increases. Inagaki Laboratory is conducting research to improve walking performance by combining ground contact point and posture planning, balance control, reflex control, etc.
各脚には局所制御器がある．局所制御器は，前脚が接地した接地点を引き継ぎ，その接地点に接地しながら胴体を前進させ，最後にそれを後脚に引き継ぐ．これらの局所制御器が連携することでロボット全体で歩行動作ができあがる．
Each leg has a local controller. The local controller takes over the grounding point of the front leg, moves the body while grounding it, and finally transmits this to the rear leg. These local controllers work together to create the walking motion of the entire robot.
接地点追従法の4つのモードと脚先の動き：丸が脚先を，直方体が脚先が届く範囲を表している．前脚と後脚とで接地点を引き渡すとモードが進む．
The four modes of the FCP gait control and the movement of the leg tip: The circle represents the leg tip and the rectangle represents the range that the leg tip can reach. The mode transitions when the ground point is took over from the front to rear legs.
実施中の共同研究 Ongoing Collaborative Research
2021年から新明工業株式会社，名古屋大学，南山大学の三者間で大型6脚ロボット（SOL）の共同研究を進めています．
Since 2021, a joint research project on a large-sized hexapod robot (SOL) has been conducted among Shinmei Industry Co., Ltd., Nagoya University, and Nanzan University.