Control of redundant 3D snake robot based on kinematic model

In this paper, we derive a kinematic model and a control law for 3D snake robots which have wheeled link mechanism. We define the redundancy controllable system and find that introduction of links without wheels makes the system redundancy controllable. Using redundancy, it becomes possible to accomplish both main objective of controlling the position and the posture of the snake robot head, and sub-objective of the singular configuration avoidance. Computer simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control law.