Design of a Novel Multi-Gait Quadruped

Over the past decade, hexapod and quadruped robotic units have gained popularity in the mainstream deployment of robotic systems in research and industry. Considering the increasing popularity of these systems, this article argues that walking systems require a diverse range of gaits and locomotion capabilities to operate in diverse environments. Currently, the majority of these systems are designed to perform within the expected environment and tasks assigned upon creation, with minimal revisions or required additions to expand upon their capabilities once deployed. In order to address these issues, we propose a novel quadruped robotic unit capable of transitioning between a range of popular gaits, traditionally seen in previous quadruped or hexapod systems. The goal of developing this unit is to provide a platform for testing transitional gaits between walking styles and investigating unique compliant foot designs that take advantage of the multi-gait form. This article also explores how such a capability may allow for advantageous flexibility in locomotion for performing real-world operations that may be difficult for single-gait systems to navigate. The robot's design, overall system architecture and fabrication process are discussed in detail, followed by preliminary test results.