A Vision-Based Algorithm of Slope Angle Estimation by Using Cooperation of Snake Robots

When snake robots perform tasks, their ability of sensing the environment is very important. This paper proposes an algorithm for estimating the slope angle based on the cooperation of two snake robots by using the visual system. Through the movement of two snake robots, the corresponding geometric models will be created. After that, the angle of the slope is calculated by substituting the coordinates that are recorded by the visual system. Finally, the experiments are conducted to verify the performance of the algorithm. The results show the errors are within 2° when the slope range is between 15° and 75°.