Control of locomotion and head configuration for 3D snake robot

In this paper, we propose a winding control technique using a physical index of horizontal constraint force for a 3D snake-like robot, and it is shown that a winding of a robot can be realized with small joint torque. If it approaches a target point, it is needed to raise a head and to work like a manipulator. Therefore, a control method of the head configuration using a criterion function, which can be used in both redundant and insufficient number of link cases is proposed. In order to show the validity of the proposed methods, we constructed a snake like robot. Using the experimental system, we show that the winding pattern with which the robot can avoid a singular posture is generated automatically, and head position and head orientation can be controlled properly.