Experiments on Motion Control of Two-Joint Articulated Hopping Robot with Stopper Mechanisms

In this report, a new-type two-joint articulated hopping robot with two stopper mechanisms is developed. The two rotary joints are actuated by two DC motors with reduction gears. In this new-type two-joint articulated hopping robot with two stopper mechanisms, the hopping motion actions are achieved by the two joint rotational dynamics and the two stopper mechanisms. Using the two stopper mechanisms, the angular momentums and momentums of the two links are transformed into the hopping motion action according to the law of conservation of angular momentum and momentum. Then, the hopping motion control system is constructed to fit the DC motor characteristics, and the effects of the stopper settings and the delay time of the control voltage of the DC motor on the hopping motion performance are experimentally investigated. Furthermore, the examples of the hopping motion control experiments are demonstrated, and it is confirmed that the forwards and backwards hopping motion actions can be successfully performed.