Abstract
This paper presents the conceptual and functional design of a novel hybrid leg-wheel-track ground mobile robot for surveillance and inspection, named WheTLHLoc (Wheel-Track-Leg Hybrid Locomotion). The aim of the work is the development of a general-purpose platform capable of combining tracked locomotion on irregular and yielding terrains, wheeled locomotion with high energy efficiency on flat and compact grounds, and stair climbing/descent ability. The architecture of the hybrid locomotion system is firstly outlined, then the validation of its stair climbing maneuver capabilities by means of multibody simulation is presented. The embodiment design and the internal mechanical layout are then discussed.
Highlights
FC), but a secondary the two wheels and on one of the omni wheels; camera is placed on the rear (Figure 1, RC) since during step climbing (Section 3) and in main robot body
The main features camera is on the of the robot (Figure 1, FC), but a secondary ofplaced this design arefront the following: camera is placed on the rear (Figure 1, RC) since during step climbing (Section 3) and in other scenarios it is necessary to move backwards; additional environmental sensors can be placed inside the robot body, on the basis of the required tasks
Multibody simulation to realize the stair climbing sequence of Figure 3; stop phases and constant speed phases are linked by cubic splines to avoid acceleration peaks
Summary
Legged locomotion, which is, differently from wheeled and tracked locomotion, biologically inspired, is the most effective solution in case of irregular terrains and obstacles, but it is generally slower and less energetically efficient on flat grounds; the main hindrance to the diffusion of legged robots is their cost and complexity, especially for the ones with dynamic gait [14,15]; the higher complexity of the dynamic gait is related to control, and to the mechanical architecture, characterized by a high number of actuators To overcome this issue, at least for small mobile robots, with limited structural stresses due to the inertial effects, the complexity of the leg architecture can be simplified: Examples are robots with rotating and compliant legs [16,17], or hybrid leg–wheel robots with stepping triple wheels [18,19].
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