Hexapod with integrated limb mechanism of leg and arm

This paper provides a new concept for the integration of locomotion and manipulation, 'the Integrated Limb Mechanism.' The concept covers the technical fields both of the control integration and of the mechanism integration necessary for the practical working robot. Here, a six-bar linkage mechanism with four degrees-of-freedom is introduced as an example of integrated limb mechanism with both advantages for leg and for arm. Computer simulation with dynamic model is performed to verify the transformability from leg posture into arm posture of this mechanism. The kinematic analysis is done for this mechanism, and it is suggested that the kinematic analysis is useful for the geometric and mechanical design. Possibility of dual arms or triple arm work is analyzed.