Gait and cost of transport analysis for quadruped robot with neuromorphic integrated circuit

Some researchers expect quadruped robots to be a labor force because of their ability to move stably over uneven terrain. However, their control requires a significant computational cost. Therefore, the authors have been studying neuromorphic circuits that mimic biological neurons with analog electronic circuits to implement the flexibility of biological control in robots. We have previously shown that the gait of a normal-type quadruped robot equipped with neuromorphic circuits changes depending on the mechanical structure of the robot. In this study, we conducted walking experiments on a normal-type quadruped robot and a camel-type quadruped robot implemented with neuromorphic integrated circuits. The results showed that the normal-type quadruped robot generated a trot gait, and the camel-type quadruped robot generated a trot and pace gait. Also, we analyzed how the movement costs of the two types of robots and the two gait types change depending on the movement speed. The analysis revealed the camel-type quadruped robot has a wider range of speeds at which it generates gait than the normal-type quadruped robot, but at the same speeds, the cost of transport of the camel-type quadruped robot is higher. Comparing the two gait types of the camel-type quadruped robot, the movement cost of the pace gait was slightly smaller at the same speed.