Decentralized Control of an Earthworm-like Robot That Fully Exploits Mechanical Interaction

摘要

To clarify the mechanism of mechanical interaction between individual components of a body, which contributes to the emergence of animal behavior, we focus on the locomotion of an earthworm. We theoretically analyze the locomotion of earthworms on the basis of a continuum model, and we derive the optimal force distribution that enables efficient locomotion. We propose a decentralized control scheme on the basis of the optimal force distribution, and we verify its validity through simulations.