A unified neural oscillator model for various rhythmic locomotions of snake-like robot

This paper contributes to the understanding and implementation of different types of locomotion in a snake-like robot by using a proposed unified neural oscillator model as central pattern generator (CPG). A neural oscillator network is suggested so that several rhythmic movements can be generated in order to mimic the actual snake movements on land. The unified coupled neural oscillators in the network provide the desired orientation and displacement for the snake-like robot and they are applied to the different types of snake locomotion by just altering some of the parameters proposed in the paper. The design of snake-like robot, consisting of a series of wheeled links (links with active wheels) connected with each other using the passive prismatic and revolute joints, is also suggested in the paper. The passive prismatic joints facilitate the change of lengths of wheel-less links and in this way the robot can be elongated as well as shortened. In this paper the serpentine, rectilinear, and concertina types of actual snake locomotion are realized, through simulation studies, by using the unified neural oscillator model proposed for the snake-like robots. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This work was supported in part by the Global Frontier R&D Program on "Human-centered Interaction for Coexistence" funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean Government (MSIP) (NRF-2012M3A6A3057080), in part by the National Research Foundation (NRF-2013R1A1A2010192), and in part by the BK21 Plus Program (Future-oriented innovative brain raising type, 22A20130012806) funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE) of Korea, Republic of Korea