Simulation and Implementation of a Hexapod Configuration using Modular Robotics

This paper details development of a functional hexapod configuration by means of MECABOT robotic modules, previously designed and built at Universidad Militar Nueva Granada. For this configuration, the modules received a series of upgrades which allowed reduction of size and weight, as well as an increase in torque. In order to develop control software, Webots IDE was used to simulate workspace characteristics in a virtual environment. Once the configuration was assembled using the improved modules, locomotion tests were carried out for forward and lateral motions, for which robot speed was measured and compared with simulation results. Analysis of the divergence between simulated and practical speeds led to a series of design considerations that will require further evaluation in future work.