A Robust Antenna Provides Tactile Feedback in a Multi-legged Robot

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2603.07795v1
• Date: Sun, 08 Mar 2026 20:28:55 GMT
• Title: A Robust Antenna Provides Tactile Feedback in a Multi-legged Robot
• Abstract summary: We develop a pair of tactile antennae for multi-legged robots that enable real-time sensing of surrounding geometry.<n>Experiments in obstacle-rich and confined environments demonstrate that tactile feedback enables reliable steering.
• Score: 5.006987439719138
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Abstract: Multi-legged elongate robots hold promise for maneuvering through complex environments. Prior work has demonstrated that reliable locomotion can be achieved using open-loop body undulation and foot placement on rugose terrain. However, robust navigation through confined spaces remains challenging when body-environment contact is extensive and terrain rheology varies rapidly. To address this challenge, we develop a pair of tactile antennae for multi-legged robots that enable real-time sensing of surrounding geometry, modeling the morphology and function of biological centipede antennae. Each antenna features gradient compliance, with a stiff base and soft tip, allowing repeated deformation and elastic recovery. Robophysical experiments reveal a relationship between continuous antenna curvature and contact force, leading to a simplified mapping from antenna deformation to inferred discrete collision states. We incorporate this mapping into a controller that selects among a set of locomotor maneuvers based on the inferred collision state. Experiments in obstacle-rich and confined environments demonstrate that tactile feedback enables reliable steering and allows the robot to recover from near-stuck conditions without requiring global environmental information or real-time vision. These results highlight how mechanically tuned tactile appendages can simplify sensing and enhance autonomy in elongate multi-legged robots operating in constrained spaces.

Related papers

• SwingBot: Learning Whole-Body Brachiation for Humanoid Robots [29.687545789217783]
  Brachiation enables primates to move across overhead supports when ground paths are blocked.<n>We present SwingBot, a learning framework for continuous humanoid brachiation with passive wrist hooks.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-09-09T15:01:12Z)
• Morphing MILR: Design and control of a cable-driven limbless robot with rolling joints for maneuvering in complex environments [5.94633614993598]
  Limbless robots offer exceptional mobility in confined and cluttered environments.<n>Recent designs incorporating compliance demonstrate robust locomotion without complex sensing or control.<n>We present a cable-driven limbless robot that robustnesss body morphology and compliance to enable diverse locomotion modes.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-07-22T03:29:39Z)
• Self-assembling Modular Aerial Robot for Versatile Aerial Tasks [10.266801150836544]
  LEGION are reconfigurable modular aerial robots capable of in-flight self-assembly for cooperative manipulation.<n>Each unit retains nimble maneuverability while joint-equipped docking interfaces at both ends enable end-to-end self-assembly into a flying manipulator.<n>We show that multiple units autonomously dock in flight; once latched, they maintain a zero-altitude interlock by controlling the contact force and torque.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-05-19T06:36:10Z)
• Learn Weightlessness: Imitate Non-Self-Stabilizing Motions on Humanoid Robot [56.377161933570335]
  Humans naturally exploit a "weightless" state during non-self-stabilizing (NSS) motions.<n>Inspired by this biological mechanism, we propose a weightlessness-state auto-labeling strategy for dataset annotation.<n>Our work bridges the gap between precise trajectory tracking and adaptive environmental interaction, offering a biologically-inspired solution for contact-rich humanoid control.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-04-23T07:10:05Z)
• A Pin-Array Structured Climbing Robot for Stable Locomotion on Steep Rocky Terrain [2.9126697571352556]
  We present a novel mobile climbing robot equipped with compliant pin-array structured grippers.<n>Each pin features a vertically split design, combining an elastic element with a metal spine to enable mechanical interlocking with microscale surface features.<n>The robot demonstrated robust and stable locomotion in indoor tests on inclined walls (10-30 degrees) and in outdoor tests on natural rocky terrain.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-03-17T14:05:42Z)
• When Rolling Gets Weird: A Curved-Link Tensegrity Robot for Non-Intuitive Behavior [0.6372261626436676]
  This research presents a solution with a semi-circular, curved-link tensegrity robot.<n>The robot strikes a balance between efficient rolling locomotion and controlled stability, enabled by discontinuities at the arc endpoints.<n>A preliminary impact test highlights the tensegrity structure's inherent shock absorption capabilities and conformability.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-03-17T13:30:33Z)
• Caterpillar-Inspired Spring-Based Compressive Continuum Robot for Bristle-based Exploration [3.0561366760390296]
  This paper presents a compact spring-based tendon-driven continuum robot that integrates with commercial robotic arms for confined-space inspection.<n>The system combines a mechanically compliant continuum body with a tendon actuation module, enabling coupled bending and axial length change.<n>Experiments show a mean position error of 4.32 mm under the proposed model and control pipeline.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-03-10T14:51:00Z)
• Bumper Drone: Elastic Morphology Design for Aerial Physical Interaction [6.865889671553905]
  We present a drone platform with elastic horns that enables touch-and-go manoeuvres.<n>We show that the elastic horn can absorb impact energy while maintaining vehicle stability.<n>In addition to intermittent contact, the platform equipped with elastic horns also demonstrates stable, sustained contact with static objects.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-02-21T22:44:40Z)
• A 26-Gram Butterfly-Inspired Robot Achieving Autonomous Tailless Flight [61.21669716392821]
  textitAirPulse is a 26-gram butterfly-inspired robot that achieves the first onboard, closed-loop controlled flight for a tailless two-winged platform at this scale.<n>It replicates key biomechanical traits of butterfly flight, utilizing low-aspect-ratio, compliant carbon-fiber-reinforced wings and low-frequency flapping that reproduces characteristic biological body undulations.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-02-06T15:58:50Z)
• Gait-Adaptive Perceptive Humanoid Locomotion with Real-Time Under-Base Terrain Reconstruction [86.53248703859718]
  We introduce a perceptive locomotion framework that merges terrain sensing, gait regulation, and whole-body control into a single reinforcement learning policy.<n>Experiments conducted on a 31-DoF, 1.65 m humanoid robot demonstrate robust locomotion in both simulation and real-world settings.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-12-08T11:42:41Z)
• Learning to enhance multi-legged robot on rugged landscapes [7.956679144631909]
  Multi-legged robots offer a promising solution forNavigating rugged landscapes. Recent studies have shown that a linear controller can ensure reliable mobility on challenging terrains. We develop a MuJoCo-based simulator tailored to this robotic platform and use the simulation to develop a reinforcement learning-based control framework.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-09-14T15:53:08Z)
• Tactile Estimation of Extrinsic Contact Patch for Stable Placement [64.06243248525823]
  We present the design of feedback skills for robots that must learn to stack complex-shaped objects on top of each other. We estimate the contact patch between a grasped object and its environment using force and tactile observations.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-09-25T21:51:48Z)
• VAE-Loco: Versatile Quadruped Locomotion by Learning a Disentangled Gait Representation [78.92147339883137]
  We show that it is pivotal in increasing controller robustness by learning a latent space capturing the key stance phases constituting a particular gait. We demonstrate that specific properties of the drive signal map directly to gait parameters such as cadence, footstep height and full stance duration. The use of a generative model facilitates the detection and mitigation of disturbances to provide a versatile and robust planning framework.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-05-02T19:49:53Z)
• Next Steps: Learning a Disentangled Gait Representation for Versatile Quadruped Locomotion [69.87112582900363]
  Current planners are unable to vary key gait parameters continuously while the robot is in motion. In this work we address this limitation by learning a latent space capturing the key stance phases constituting a particular gait. We demonstrate that specific properties of the drive signal map directly to gait parameters such as cadence, foot step height and full stance duration.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-12-09T10:02:02Z)
• Elastic Tactile Simulation Towards Tactile-Visual Perception [58.44106915440858]
  We propose Elastic Interaction of Particles (EIP) for tactile simulation. EIP models the tactile sensor as a group of coordinated particles, and the elastic property is applied to regulate the deformation of particles during contact. We further propose a tactile-visual perception network that enables information fusion between tactile data and visual images.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-08-11T03:49:59Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.