Аннотация:A vibration-driven locomotor (capsubot) consisting of a rigid
housing and an internal body connected to the housing by a spring is
considered. The system is driven and controlled by an electromagnetic
actuator that provides a force interaction between the housing and the
internal body. The housing moves along a line on a horizontal plane
with dry friction. The control voltage is applied to the robot in a periodic
pulse-width mode, the voltage polarity remaining unchanged. Theoretical
analysis predicts that the speed and direction of motion of the
robot can be controlled by varying the period or/and the duty cycle of
the control signal. An experimental prototype of the robot is built and
the experiments are performed. The experiments confirm the theoretical
prediction.