Kinematic Aspects and Geometric Modeling for the Legs of a Hexapod Robot Intended for Laboratory Experiments

This paper focuses on several aspects that need to be considered for leg design of a hexapod robot model. Some fundamental, constructive, and functional elements are addressed. After the analysis of several possible structures the one considered optimal for the intended purpose was chosen, namely the creation of an experimental simple and economic model for hexapod robot locomotion studies. The direct and inverse kinematic equations are included for this chosen structure. Then, using the Matlab environment, many study cases are carried out on the operating space of the leg, highlighting the extreme points and essential sections from different angles of view. Finally, a set of geometric models is presented regarding the movement of the leg tip on a linear trajectory, in different imposed situations and with highlighting of tracking errors.