Design of a Cricket Microrobot

Our goal is to develop an autonomous robot that will fit within a two-inch cube and will locomote by walking and jumping. The robot will be based on the kinematics of a cricket. It will be actuated by braided pneumatic actuators with compressed air provided by an onboard compressor. The air will be distributed by an array of actuated MEMS valves. A neural network will control the robot and it will be implemented in an analog VLSI circuit. The joint angles will be measured using MEMS joint angle sensors that are based on biological sensors studied in the cricket and other insects.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2000
• Where: ICRA
• Authors: Matthew C. Birch, Roger D. Quinn, Geon Hahm, Stephen M. Phillips, Barry Drennan, Andrew Fife, Hiten Verma, Randall D. Beer
• Keywords: ICRA 2000, Joint Angle, MEMS Joint Angle, Robot, Robotics