Stick(y) Insects — Evaluation of Static Stability for Bio-inspired Leg Coordination in Robotics

As opposed to insects, todays walking robots are typically not constructed to withstand crashes. Whereas insects use a multitude of sensor information and have self-healing abilities in addition, robots usually rely on few specialized sensors that are essential for operation. If one of the sensors fails due to a crash, the robot is unusable. Therefore, most technical systems require static stability at all times to avoid damages and to guarantee utilizability, whereas insects can afford occasional failures. Despite the failure tolerance, insects also possess adhesive, “sticky” pads and claws at their feet that allow them to cling to the substrate, thus reducing the need for static stability. Nevertheless, insects, in particular stick insects, have been studied intensively to understand the underlying mechanisms of their leg coordination in order to adapt it for the control of robots. This work exemplarily evaluates the static stability of a single stick insect during walking and the stability of a technical system that is controlled by stick insect - inspired coordination rules.