Gait Analysis and Stability Evaluation of a Hexapod Robot

Abstract

Biomimetic hexapod robots present distinct advantages over wheeled robots in navigating uneven terrains. They are well-suited for applications in search and rescue, geographic exploration, military operations, and other similar endeavors. This study presents the development, hardware design, gait design, and performance analysis of a six-legged robot. We used forward kinematics and inverse kinematics to collect data and construct sinusoidal functions to probe two types of gaits: Tripod and Quadruped. A series of experiments was conducted to evaluate how body height (pose) and gait type of the robot influence its locomotion stability, including lateral deviation, vertical oscillation, and slippage. Using two-way ANOVA, we found that body height significantly affects lateral stability, while both gait and height interact to influence vertical displacement and slippage. Our findings highlight key mechanical and control factors in improving hexapod stability and motion efficiency. Future work will focus on enhancing adaptive capabilities through self-balancing mechanisms, robust gait planning under complex terrains, and the integration of multimodal sensing for intelligent control in unstructured environments.