MECANT is a fully independent hydraulic six-legged walking machine. The machine weighs about 1100 kg and is driven by a 38 kW 2-cylinder ultra-light aeroplane engine with air cooling. The leg mechanism is a 2-dimensional pantograph with vertical rotation axis thus having 3 d.o.fs and they are drived by hydraulic system. The operator controls the vehicle remotely by the joysticks via the radio link.

The control system consists of a computer network connecting seven on-board computers running under a commercial real-time operating system (QNX), sensors for the vehicle body and legs, and a portable operator interface with the radio control and communication facilities.

Today MECANT is already retaired. Its successor is WorkPartner., which is a light weight service robot. WorkPartner is moving by the aid of a four legged hybrid mobility system.

MECANT Publications

Doctoral Theses

Kari Hartikainen

Motion planning of a walking platform designed to locomote on natural terrain (TKK, 1996)

Hannu Lehtinen

Force based motion control of a walking machine (VTT, 1994)

Diploma Theses (in Finnish)

Sami Salmi

Freegait algorythm for a walking machine (1994)

Ilkka Leppänen

Kuusijalkaisen kävelevän MECANT I-koneen mekaniikan ja ohjausjärjestelmän kehittäminen (1993)

Kari Kärkkäinen

Stability and attitude control of a walking machine (1992)

Jukka Pitkänen

A computer control system for leg control of a walking machine (1991)

Kari Hartikainen

Motion-planning og a multilegged walking machine using periodic gaits (1990)

Juha Järvinen

Study of the technology of walking machines (1988)

Publication in series

• K Hartikainen, A Halme, H Lehtinen and K Koskinen,
  MECANT I; A Six Legged Walking Machine for Research Purposes in Outdoor Environment,
  Espoo: Teknillinen korkeakoulu, 1992. (Helsinki University of Technology, Automation Technology Laboratory. Series B, Technical reports, 6).

Journal article

• S Salmi and A Halme,
  "Implementing and testing a reasoning-based free gait algorithm in the six legged walking machine,"
  Control Engineering Practice, Vol. 4, s. 487-492, 1996.
• A Halme, K Hartikainen and K Kärkkäinen,
  "Terrain Adaptive Motion and Free Gait of a Six-Legged Walking Machine,"
  Control Engineering Practice, Vol. 2, no. 2, 273-279, 1994.

Book article

• A Halme and K Hartikainen,
  "Designing the Control System of an Advanced Six-Legged Machine,"
  in Advanced Robotics & Intelligent Machines, J. O Gray and D. G Caldwell, London: The Institution of Electrical Engineers, 1996, s. 177-190.

Conference article

• A Halme,
  "MECANT-ten years history of a walking machine test-bed designed for developing outdoor applications,"
  in Proc. 2nd International Workshop on climbing & walking robots, Portsmouth, 1999, University of Portsmouth, 1999, s. 81.
• A Halme, S Salmi and I Leppänen,
  "Towards semi-dynamic and autonomous motion of kinematically controlled walking machine,"
  in Proceedings of the European Mechanics Colloquium 375, 1998.
• S Cordes, K Berns and I Leppänen,
  "Sensor components of the six-legged walking machine LAURON II,"
  in Proceedings of the 8th international conference on advanced robotics, Piscataway: IEEE, 1997, s. 71-76.
• A Halme, S Salmi and I Leppänen,
  "Control and stabilisation of the semi-dynamical motion of a heavy six-legged walking machine,"
  in Preprint of the workshop new approaches on dynamic walking and climbing machines, R. Dillman K. Berns, Monterey: 1997, s. 44-47.
• I Leppänen,
  "A novel ultrasonic and infra-red scanner for the walking machine,"
  in Proceedings of the 5th international symposium on intelligent robotic systems 97, C. Brautigam H. Christensen and C. Ridderstrom, Tukholma: Kungl tekniska högskola, 1997, s. 31-39.
• A Halme and M Vainio,
  "Muurahaisten jalanjäljillä - Kävelevät koneet, robottiyhteisöt ja niiden ohjaus,"
  in Keinoelämä - Tekniikkaa, luonnontiedettä, filosofiaa ja taidetta, E Hyvönen and J Seppänen, Helsinki: Suomen tekoälyseura, 1995, 170-180.
• I Leppänen, A Halme and H Lehtinen,
  "Control of the hydraulic system of a walking machine mecant,"
  in Proceedings of the Scandinavian International Conference on Fluid Power, U Ahlfors, L Lahti and R Siekkinen, Tampere: Tampere University of Technology, 1995, s. 190-203.
• S Salmi and A Halme,
  "Implementing and testing a reasoning based free gait algorithm in the six legged walking machine "MECANT","
  in Preprints of the 2nd IFAC Conference on Intelligent Autonomous Vehicles, A Halme and K Koskinen, Helsinki: Finnish Society of Automation, 1995, 127-132.
• A Halme and K Hartikainen,
  "Walking Machine Technology - Experiences on Designing the Control System of an Advanced Six-legged Machine,"
  in Preprints of the International Workshop on Advanced Robotics and Intelligent Machines, Manchester: University of Salford, 1994, 14.1-8.
• K Hartikainen and A Halme,
  "Control Design of a six-legged Machine for Work Machine Applications,"
  in Proceedings on Tampere International Conference on Machine Automation, Tampere: Tampere University of Technology, 1994, 83-97.
• H Lehtinen,
  "Force control of a hydraulic walking machine,"
  in Preprints of the IFAC Workshop on trends in hydraulic and pneumatic components and systems, Chicago: American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1994, 15-15.
• A Halme, K Hartikainen and K Kärkkäinen,
  "Terrain Adaptive Motion and Free Gait of a Six-legged Walking Machine,"
  in Proc. IFAC Workshop on Intelligent Autonomous Vehicles, Southampton, 1993, Oxford: Pergamon press, 1993, 7.
• K Hartikainen, A Halme, H Lehtinen and K Koskinen,
  "Control and Software Structures of a Hydraulic Six-legged Machine Designed for Locomotion in Natural Environment,"
  in Proc. IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Raleigh, 1992, New York: IEEE, 1992, 590-596.
• K Hartikainen, A Halme, H Lehtinen and K Koskinen,
  "MECANT I: A Six Legged Walking Machine for Research Purposes in Outdoor Environment,"
  in Proc. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Los Alamitos: IEEE Computer Society, 1992, 157-163.