Design, Simulation, and Control of a Hexapod Robot in Simscape Multibody

In this chapter, we present the design, simulation, and control of a hexapod robot using tools available in MATLAB software. In addition, we design and implement a dynamic model (using the Simscape Multibody™ toolbox) as well as a three-dimensional model of the robot, using Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), that help to visualize the robot’s walking sequence. This three-dimensional model is interconnected with the Simscape Multibody™ blocks using MATLAB’s virtual reality blocks. Apart from this, and following specific requirements, we design and implement a Proportional–Integral–Derivative controller in order to obtain a pre-established displacement for the robot that, thanks to the developed computer simulations, proved to be satisfactory. Special emphasis is put in obtaining a modular representation of the dynamic model of the studied robot because it will permit to design more sophisticated nonlinear controllers in future works, allowing a good dynamic behavior of the robot in front of environmental perturbations, an issue that will become evident through computer simulations of its displacement