Whereas the transport of matter by wheeled vehicles or legged robots can be guaranteed in
engineered landscapes such as roads or rails, locomotion prediction in complex …

Robotic adaptation to unanticipated operating conditions is crucial to achieving persistence
and robustness in complex real world settings. For a wide range of cutting-edge robotic …

We present a novel approach to traction force microscopy (TFM) for studying the locomotion
of 10 cm long walking centipedes on soft substrates. Leveraging the remarkable elasticity …

Miniature-legged robots are constrained by their onboard computation and control, thus
motivating the need for simple, first-principles-based geometric models that connect periodic …

Discrete and periodic contact switching is a key characteristic of steady-state legged
locomotion. This letter introduces a framework for modeling and analyzing this contact …

Contact planning is crucial in locomoting systems. Specifically, appropriate contact planning
can enable versatile behaviors (eg, sidewinding in limbless locomotors) and facilitate speed …

In this paper, we develop a geometric framework for generating non-slip quadrupedal two-
beat gaits. We consider a four-bar mechanism as a surrogate model for a contact state and …

Geometric mechanics provides a framework through which top-down insights permit novel
motion planning approaches to a broad class of locomotion systems with symmetry …

Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) allow for more sophisticated modeling
and simulation of complex engineering systems. This research explores the application of AI …

We study the dynamics of an oscillating, free-floating robot that generates radially expanding
gravity-capillary waves at a fluid surface. In open water, the device does not self-propel; near …