Legs attitudes determination for bionic locust robot based on landing buffering performance

•The model of bionic locust robot is established and kinematic analysis is performed.•The relationship between the legs attitudes and buffering performance is analyzed.•Landing stability of the robot is analyzed and the evaluation method is proposed.•Propose legs attitude determination method based on landing buffering performance.•The simulation is performed based on Monte Carlo method.

A bionic locust robot can change the legs attitudes flexibility, which affect the landing buffering performance significantly when the robot lands on the ground. So the legs attitudes determination is the important problem when the robot is landing. This paper first establishes the model of the bionic locust robot, and kinematic analysis is performed to determine the relationship between landing positions and the legs attitudes. Then the locust's landing buffering processes are described. Thus, the effect of the legs attitudes to landing buffering performance, which includes the maximum buffering distance, mechanical property and landing stability, is analyzed. And legs attitudes determination method is proposed based on the landing buffering performance. This method allows the easy determination of legs attitudes to achieve good motion performance under different landing conditions. Some typical examples are provided to explain the legs attitudes determination process. The simulation is performed based on Monte Carlo method for verifying the feasibility of this method considering the uncertainty of the landing conditions. This study can guide the control of the six legs of the bionic jumping robot to adapt to rough terrain.