Extended Movement Unit Capable of Moving Rough Terrain for Pepper

Abstract

This research realizes an extended movement unit for expanding the movement range of Pepper. Pepper moves by the omni wheel. However, omni wheel is difficult to freely move the floor with structurally large steps and irregularities. To extend Pepper's movement, other devices are needed. We produced extended movement unit. The extended movement unit aims at a unit that can be used without remodeling Pepper. The extended movement unit consists of a mobile robot that extends mobility and a docking unit that joins the Pepper and mobile robot. The mobile robot is based on the robot we developed. The docking unit realizes a mechanism that can be joined to the mobile robot without modifying the Pepper. Pepper can move various floor surfaces by docking with extended movement unit. The docking unit can be stored and the mobile robot can be used for other tasks. By changing the docking unit shape, the extended movement can also be used for other robots.