Dynamic modeling and nonlinear position control of a quadruped robot with theo jansen linkage mechanisms and a single actuator

The theo jansen mechanism is gaining widespread popularity among the legged robotics community due to its scalable design,energy efficiency,low payload-to-machine-load ratio,bioinspired locomotion,and deterministic foot trajectory. in this paper,we perform for the first time the dynamic modeling and analysis on a four-legged robot driven by a single actuator and composed of theo jansen mechanisms. the projection method is applied to derive the equations of motion of this complex mechanical system and a position control strategy based on energy is proposed. numerical simulations validate the efficacy of the designed controller,thus setting a theoretical basis for further investigations on theo jansen based quadruped robots. © 2015 shunsuke nansai et al.