An Experimental Study on Vibration-Driven Locomotion Systems Under Different Levels of Isotropic Friction

This paper shows experimental analysis results of the study on vibration-driven locomotion system, which can be applied in capsule robots. The experimental apparatus provided a capacity of varying friction force when keeping the weight of the whole system unchanged. Twelve experimental sets with 16 runs for each set were implemented, providing a deep insight of the system behavior, both in progression rate and the relative motions of the masses. The experimental data revealed that, the force ratio between the excitation magnitude and friction level would not be totally correct to present the excitation effects in modeling the system. The level of friction force may have a significant effect on not only how fast the system move, but also which direction of the progression. The new findings would be useful for further studies on the design and operation of vibration driven locomotion systems.