A simple robot suggests trunk rotation is essential for emergence of inside leading limb during quadruped galloping turns

Tomoe Maeta^1,2*Shoei Hattori^1,3,4,5Takeshi Kano⁶Akira Fukuhara^1*Akio Ishiguro¹

• ¹Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
• ²Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
• ³Graduate School of Electrical Engineering , Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
• ⁴Division for Interdisciplinary Advanced Research and Education, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
• ⁵Japan Society for the Promotion Science, Tokyo, Japan
• ⁶School of Systems Information Science, Future University Hakodate, Hakodate, Japan

During turning maneuvers in the galloping gait of quadruped animals, a strong relationship exists between the turning direction and the sequence in which the forelimbs make ground contact: the outer forelimb acts as the "trailing limb" while the inner forelimb serves as the "leading limb." However, the control mechanisms underlying this behavior remain largely unclear. Understanding these mechanisms could deepen biological knowledge and assist in developing more agile robots. To address this issue, we hypothesized that decentralized interlimb coordination mechanism and trunk movement are essential for the emergence of an inside leading limb in a galloping turn. To test the hypothesis, we developed a quasi-quadruped robot with simplified wheeled hind limbs and variable trunk roll and yaw angles. For forelimb coordination, we implemented a simple decentralized control based on local load-dependent sensory feedback, utilizing trunk roll inclination and yaw bending as turning methods. Our experimental results confirmed that in addition to the decentralized control from previous studies which reproduces animal locomotion in a straight line, adjusting the trunk roll angle spontaneously generates a ground contact sequence similar to gallop turning in quadruped animals. Furthermore, roll inclination showed a greater influence than yaw bending on differentiating the leading and trailing limbs. This study suggests that physical interactions serve as a universal mechanism of locomotor control in both forward and turning movements of quadrupedal animals.