SWheg: A Wheel-Leg Transformable Robot With Minimalist Actuator Realization

This article presents the design, implementation, and performance evaluation of SWheg, a novel modular wheel-leg transformable robot family with minimalist actuator realization. SWheg takes advantage of both wheeled and legged locomotion by seamlessly integrating them on a single platform. In contrast to other designs that use multiple actuators, SWheg uses only one actuator to drive the transformation of all the wheel-leg modules in sync. This means an N-legged SWheg robot requires only N+1 actuators, which can significantly reduce the cost and malfunction rate of the platform. The tendon-driven wheel-leg transformation mechanism based on a four-bar linkage can perform fast morphology transitions between wheels and legs. We validated the design principle with two SWheg robots with four and six wheel-leg modules separately, namely Quadrupedal SWheg and Hexapod SWheg. The design process, mechatronics infrastructure, and the gait behavioral development of both platforms were discussed. The performance of the robot was evaluated in various scenarios, including driving and turning in wheeled mode, step crossing, irregular terrain passing, and stair climbing in legged mode. The comparison between these two platforms was also discussed

Single-Loop Full R Joints of Multi-Mode Omnidirectional Ground Mobile Robot

In order to solve the problem of loss of locomotion ability due to overturning and instability during the movement of a mobile robot, a multi-mode omnidirectional ground mobile robot with a deformable structure is proposed. Single-loop is used as the unit, and the three-direction geometric deformation can be realized by controlling its R joints in time sharing. The 4-RRRRRR parallel mobile robot formed by two closed-loops orthogonally has four different rolling modes, and each mode can be switched between each other. Once the robot is overturned and unstable during the movement, it can be deformed into other modes and continue to move. After the description of the robot, the DOF (degree-of-freedom) is calculated based on the screw theory. Gait planning and locomotion feasibility analysis indicate that the robot can realize four locomotion modes and their mutual switching. Finally, the simulations and prototype experiments are presented to verify the feasibility of the different locomotion modes and the ability of the obstacle crossing

변신 바퀴를 이용한 다중 지형 이동 로봇의 설계

학위논문 (석사)-- 서울대학교 대학원 : 기계항공공학부, 2014. 2. 주종남.In this paper, the design, optimization, and performance evaluation of a new wheel-leg hybrid robot are reported. This robot utilizes a novel kind of transformable wheel for its locomotion to combine the advantages of both circular wheels and legged wheels. To minimize design complexity, this new transformable wheels transformation process is operated passively, which eliminates the need for additional actuators. A new triggering mechanism is also employed to increase the success rate of the transformation. To maximize the climbing ability in the legged-wheel mode, the design parameters of the transformable wheel and the robot are tuned based on behavioral analyses. The performance of our new development is evaluated in terms of stability, energy efficiency, and the maximum height of the obstacle the robot can climb over. By virtue of this transformable wheel, the system could climb over an obstacle 3.25 times as tall as its wheel radius, not compromising its driving ability at 2.4 body lengths per second with the specific resistance of 0.7 on flat surfaces.Abstract Contents List of Figures & Tables 1. Introduction 2. Design of the passive transformable wheel 2.1 Components design for coupled legs 2.2 Transformation mechanism 2.3 Triggering mechanism 2.4 Climbing scenario 3. Design optimization 3.1 Modeling of the passive transformable wheel 3.2 Maximizing the transformation ratio 3.3 Foot design for the higher success rate of the transformation 4. Design of the robotic platform 4.1 Features 4.2 Tuning design parameters for stable climbing 5. Results 5.1 Speed & specific resistance 5.2 Obstacle climbing 5.3 Discussion about mode switch 6. Conclusions References 국문초록Maste

Locomation strategies for amphibious robots-a review

In the past two decades, unmanned amphibious robots have proven the most promising and efficient systems ranging from scientific, military, and commercial applications. The applications like monitoring, surveillance, reconnaissance, and military combat operations require platforms to maneuver on challenging, complex, rugged terrains and diverse environments. The recent technological advancements and development in aquatic robotics and mobile robotics have facilitated a more agile, robust, and efficient amphibious robots maneuvering in multiple environments and various terrain profiles. Amphibious robot locomotion inspired by nature, such as amphibians, offers augmented flexibility, improved adaptability, and higher mobility over terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial mediums. In this review, amphibious robots' locomotion mechanism designed and developed previously are consolidated, systematically The review also analyzes the literature on amphibious robot highlighting the limitations, open research areas, recent key development in this research field. Further development and contributions to amphibious robot locomotion, actuation, and control can be utilized to perform specific missions in sophisticated environments, where tasks are unsafe or hardly feasible for the divers or traditional aquatic and terrestrial robots

Research on obstacle performance and tipping stability of a novel wheel–leg deformation mechanism

A new type of wheel–leg deformation mechanism, based on an electromagnetic clutch and gear rack transmission mechanism, is designed. This mechanism has a compact structure and simple operation, which can roll on wheels and surmount obstacles with a support leg. Firstly, the walking model is established to study the kinematics characteristics of the mechanism. The alternation of the support legs does not affect smooth obstacle crossing, but will cause the step change of the angular velocity of the centroid of the main body. Secondly, the obstacle-surmounting performance of roll-over mode and obstacle-crossing mode using support legs is analyzed. For roll-over mode, the maximum climbing height is 87.36 mm. For obstacle-crossing mode using support legs, the maximum climbing height is the maximum extension length of the support leg. According to the climbing height, the switching criteria of different climbing modes are obtained. In addition, the rolling angle of the main body has a greater impact on the support force and driving torque, while the contact angle between the legs and the ground has a small impact. Finally, the tipping stability and anti-interference ability of the wheel–leg deformation mechanism is evaluated using the stability cone method.</p

FUZZY BASED SELF-TRANSFORMING ROBOT

ABSTRACT Self-transforming robot is a robot which transforms its shape according to the hindrance occurring in the path where the robots are being moved. Such robots have been recognized as very attractive design in exhibiting the reliable transformation according to the situations. Military and defense application needs a robot should possess arbitrary movements like human. In some scenarios transformations are made by biological inspired control strategies using Central Pattern Generators (CPG). CPG is used in the locomotion control of snake robots, quadruped robots, to humanoid robots. This paper presents a Fuzzy system for the Self-transforming robot which possess alteration in its original shape to exhibit a human-like behavior while passing over the particular location. Quadrupedal locomotion on rough terrain and unpredictable environments is still a challenge, where the proposed system will provide the good adaptability in rough terrain. It allows the modulation of locomotion by simple control signal. The necessary conditions for the stable dynamic walking on irregular terrain in common are proposed. Extensive simulations are carried out to validate the performance of the proposed Fuzzy system using LABVIEW. Arbitrary parameters such as distance, angle and orientation of the obstacles are provided as input to the fuzzy system which gives the required speed modulation on the motoric module

Adaptive Locomotion: The Cylindabot Robot

Adaptive locomotion is an emerging field of robotics due to the complex interaction between the robot and its environment. Hybrid locomotion is where a robot has more than one mode of locomotion and potentially delivers the benefits of both, however, these advantages are often not quantified or applied to new scenarios. The classic approach is to design robots with a high number of degrees of freedom and a complex control system, whereas an intelligent morphology can simplify the problem and maintain capabilities. Cylindabot is designed to be a minimally actuated hybrid robot with strong terrain crossing capabilities. By limiting the number of motors, this reduces the robot's weight and means less reinforcement is needed for the physical frame or drive system. Cylindabot uses different drive directions to transform between using wheels or legs. Cylindabot is able to climb a slope of 32 degrees and a step ratio of 1.43 while only being driven by two motors. A physical prototype and simulation models show that adaptation is optimal for a range of terrain (slopes, steps, ridges and gaps). Cylindabot successfully adapts to a map environment where there are several routes to the target location. These results show that a hybrid robot can increase its terrain capabilities when changing how it moves and that this adaptation can be applied to wider environments. This is an important step to have hybrid robots being deployed to real situations

Virtual prototype-based kinematic modeling and simulation of a multi-mode amphibious robot

The amphibious robot, which has the capability of multi-mode motion, can maneuver diverse environments with high mobility and adaptability. These are employed in the area of reconnaissance, search and rescue operations, and monitoring. The existing amphibious robots have lower maneuverability over the crawling period on uneven and slope surfaces on the land. In this paper, a kinematic model of the amphibious robot based on virtual prototyping is designed for multi-mode locomotion. ADAMS (Automated dynamic analysis of mechanical systems) is a multi-body dynamic solver adopted to build the simulation model for the robot. The novel amphibious robot employs a Rockerbogie mechanism equipped with wheel paddles. The locomotion analysis on land involves straight-going and obstacle negotiation, which is simulated using ADAMS. The simulation analysis result demonstrates increased maneuverability, achieving a robot's velocity of robot 1.6 m/s. Normal forces on the front and rear wheels show equal load distribution, contributing more to the robot’s equilibrium over uneven terrain. The simulation result reflects the accurate kinematic characteristics of the amphibious robot and provides a theoretical basis for developing an algorithm for robot motion control and optimization. Further, this research will concentrate on the kinematic simulation maneuvering in water mode with the wheel paddle