Arm Of System Research Articles

Four-DOF Robotic Arm System for Goods Transport

Paper presents the design, development, and implementation of a Four-Degree-of-Freedom (Four-DOF) Robotic Arm System tailored for the purpose of efficient goods transport. The increasing demand for automation in logistics and industrial sectors has prompted the need for versatile robotic solutions capable of manipulating objects in various environments. The proposed robotic arm system addresses this need by offering four independent degrees of freedom, enabling it to perform intricate tasks involved in goods transport. The system's mechanical design incorporates four joints, each contributing to a specific movement: lifting, lowering, rotating, and extending. These movements provide the necessary flexibility to manoeuvre in complex spaces, making it suitable for applications within warehouses, factories, and distribution canters. The design process involved careful consideration of structural integrity, weight distribution, and motion optimization to ensure safe and precise operation. In conjunction with the mechanical design, the robotic arm is equipped with advanced sensing and control mechanisms. Sensor arrays, including proximity sensors and cameras, enable the arm to perceive its environment and detect objects, ensuring accurate object detection and collision avoidance. The control system, driven by a combination of microcontrollers and software algorithms, orchestrates the movement of each joint to achieve seamless coordination and efficient goods transport. Real-world implementation of the Four-DOF Robotic Arm System showcases its ability to streamline goods transport operations. By automating tasks that previously required manual intervention, the system enhances operational efficiency, reduces labour costs, and minimizes the risk of human error. Furthermore, its adaptability to diverse environments underscores its potential to revolutionize the logistics industry.

Autonomous Materials Synthesis Strategies Towards Accelerated Discovery of Novel Functional Nanomaterials for Green Energy Production

Electrocatalysts designed by alloying two or more elements (e.g., transition metals) showed promising enhancement in catalytic activity and durability due to synergistic effects from alloying, such as strain engineering or electron exchange. The potential of the alloying approach is constrained by standard synthesis methods (e.g., wet chemistry and thermal decomposition techniques) due to the governing thermodynamics rules (e.g., miscibility of the different alloying elements). That renders the synthesis of high entropy alloys (HEA), with more than 3 elements, to be complicated and tedious to achieve by those conventional methods.In the presented talk we are presenting different strategies to synthesize metastable high entropy alloys (HEA) and their outstanding catalytic performance towards OER, in correlation to their unique chemistries and structures. Rapid cycling of temperature from room 25 °C to highly elevated levels (1700 °C), in conjunction with ultra-rapid cooling, within milli-second range have been demonstrated by different methods including rapid Joule heating, Intense light flashing, and microwave plasma shock. Our results show successful synthesis of non-noble metals HEA NPs, possessing higher catalytic activity than IrO2 catalyst for OER. The nature of the alloying elements dictates OER activity by promoting different oxidation states of the catalytically active transition metals (e.g., Fe, Ni and Co). In addition, a phenomenal in-situ chemical welding of HEA NP to carbon support, yielded HEA catalysts with two orders of magnitude longer durability than IrO2. Our developed techniques resulted in formation of super-strong metal-carbide bonds “chemically welding” HEA NP to the catalyst support.Synthesis of various HEA catalyst and their electrocatalytic performance screening has been carried out by using liquid handler robots and multi-axes robotic arm systems. Moreover, to optimize the design of materials (structure and chemistry), we are using active learning techniques to evaluate the achieved performance results by applying Gaussian process, followed by applying Bayesian Optimization techniques to propose novel chemistries and structures with a higher probability to achieve further improved performances. The presented the study does not open the door only towards developing novel catalysts for energy production. However, it presents a strategy with multiple successfully demonstrated platforms towards accelerated discovery of novel materials. The high-throughput nature of the synthesis protocols presented in this talk can produce tens of thousands of different novel chemistries, at the same time taken by conventional methods to synthesize just a few, at a minimal energy consumption, cost, and manpower.

Adaptive event-triggered filtering for semi-Markov jump systems under communication constraints

This paper investigates the problem of adaptive event-triggered filtering for a class of semi-Markov jump systems. A more general scenario of semi-Markov jump systems under communication constraints is explored, where the output signal occurs with saturation nonlinearity, packet loss, and quantization. The saturation nonlinearity and packet dropout are described by two random variables subject to Bernoulli distribution. The mode-dependent adaptive event-triggered mechanism is designed by combining the system mode information. Based on the output error, the trigger threshold adaptive law is designed to make the threshold change dynamically. The mode-dependent time-varying filter is constructed and sufficient conditions for the desired filter with H∞ performance are obtained. Finally, a single-link robot arm system verifies the effectiveness of the proposed filter design method, and the adaptive event-triggered protocol can effectively reduce the number of data transmissions.

Applications of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence technology in open surgery: preliminary experience in pediatric surgery.

Indocyanine green fluorescence technology (ICG) in pediatric minimally invasive surgery has undergone an important improvement in the last 5 years. However, its use in open surgery is still limited. In this paper, we aim to report our preliminary experience with Rubina® lens ICG fluorescence technology in combination with the IMAGE1 S™ system from KARL STORZ in open excision of masses in children. The records of 18 patients undergoing open surgery for head, neck and thorax masses between September and November 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Rubina® lens ICG fluorescence technology system was used in all the cases. In 10 cases we adopted the holding arm system and in 8 cases the hand-held technique. Data about patients' demographics, surgery and outcomes were collected and analyzed through the following criteria: mass localization, intraoperative time (min), ICG administration (ml), intraoperative complications, postoperative complications. A total of 18 patients were operated: 4 thyroglossal duct cysts, 3 supraorbital cysts, 2 neck masses, 2 pre-auricular and 2 scalp cysts, 2 gynecomastias, 2 lymphangiomas, 1 nose mass. In all the cases, intralesional injection of 0.5-1 ml of ICG solution was performed peri-operatively. Mean operative time was 58.4 min (35-134 min). Postoperative complications included seroma formation in 2 cases. Surgical pathology reports confirmed complete mass excision in all the cases. Based on our preliminary experience, ICG fluorescence guided surgery using Rubina® lens system was very helpful also in open surgery procedures. Rubina® lens system permits to have a very low complication rate, a time-saving surgery, a real time reliability of anatomic structures and an excellent clinical safety. In our experience, holding arm system seems more comfortable than hand-held system. However, further cases need to be performed to evaluate the exact role and to identify new indications of this technique in open pediatric surgical procedures.

Adaptive Neural Network Output-Constraint Control for a Variable-Length Rotary Arm With Input Backlash Nonlinearity.

This article studies the problem of deformation reduction and attitude tracking for a rotated and extended flexible crane arm with input backlash-saturation and output asymmetrical constraint. By employing Halmilton's principle, the arm system model is formulated by a set of partial and ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Given the modeling inaccuracy, a radial neural network (RNN) is used to approximate system parameters. To better design the controllers, the backstepping technique is applied to the control design. For input nonlinearities with backlash and saturation, we reversely transform them as an asymmetric saturation constraint via a virtual input. A barrier Lyapunov function (BLF) containing logarithmic terms is constructed to guarantee the asymmetric output constraints and the uniformly ultimate boundedness and stability of the arm system are proved. Finally, to testify the effectiveness of the proposed controllers, numerical simulations are carried out, and responding simulation diagrams are displayed.

Is a novel digital system for arm and hand rehabilitation suitable for stroke survivors? A qualitative process evaluation of OnTrack

Objectives and designNational guidelines emphasise the need to enhance arm and hand recovery poststroke. OnTrack is a 12-week package aiming to address this need. Feasibility was evaluated in a single-arm...

Design of a Four-Axis Robot Arm System Based on Machine Vision

With the concept of industrial automation gradually being put forward, the four-axis robotic arm is gradually being applied in industrial production environments due to its advantages such as a stable structure, easy maintenance, and expandability. However, it is difficult to diversify and improve the traditional four-axis robotic arm system due to the high software and hardware coupling and the single system design, which results in high production costs. At the same time, its low intelligence and high-power consumption limit its wide application. The paper proposes an embedded design of a four-axis manipulator system based on vision guidance. Based on the robot kinematics theory and geometric principles, the dynamics simulation of the manipulator model is carried out. Through the forward and reverse analysis of the manipulator model and the trajectory planning of the manipulator, the YOLOV7 target detection algorithm is introduced and deployed on the embedded device, which greatly reduces the manufacturing cost of the manipulator while meeting the control and power consumption requirements. It has been verified by experiments that the robot arm in this paper can achieve an end accuracy of 0.05 mm under the condition of a load of 1 kg using the ISO 9283 international standard, and the recognition algorithm adopted can achieve a recognition accuracy of 95.2% at a frame rate of 29. The overall power consumption is also lower than that of traditional robotic arms.

A Flexible and Fully Autonomous Breast Ultrasound Scanning System

The quality of breast ultrasound imaging is greatly affected by the contact force of the probe, which largely requires experienced sonographers to complete the clinical examination. We propose a flexible and fully autonomous ultrasound scanning system for breast ultrasound imaging. It consists of an ultrasound machine, a dual robotic arms system, a multi-structured light system, a human&#x2013;computer interaction system, and a flexible ultrasound probe clamping device (FUPCD). First, the dynamics model of the FUPCD was analyzed, and a closed-loop force control strategy was established. We then implemented an automatic scanning system. The hysteresis characteristics of the FUPCD and transient response of the force controller were experimentally verified. The system could keep the steady-state error less than <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\pm$</tex-math> </inline-formula> 5<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\%$</tex-math> </inline-formula> within 0.5 s. Second, the performance of the control system to maintain constant contact force at different scanning speeds (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$&lt;$</tex-math> </inline-formula>20 mm/s) was evaluated. In a series of comparative studies, the fluctuation range of the target contact force applied by the flexible automatic scanning was 10<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\%$</tex-math> </inline-formula>. The force control capability of the system was 30.84 times higher than that of traditional manual scanning, 18.48 times higher than that of flexible automatic scanning (FC off), and 24.3 times higher than that of rigid automatic scanning (FC on). Furthermore, the effectiveness of the FUPCD arc design and flexibility was verified. In addition, the change trend of the average grayscale level (GSL) of the ultrasound image was basically the same as the contact force, demonstrating that the stability and repeatability of the ultrasound image can be improved by controlling the stability of the contact force. In conclusion, the proposed system can simplify the workflow of breast ultrasound examination and improve the diagnostic capabilities of the ultrasound imaging system. <i>Note to Practitioners</i>&#x2014;The motivation of this study is to solve the problem of poor image reproducibility in breast ultrasound scanning, but the proposed system can also be applied to ultrasound scanning of other parts of the body. The position, direction, and contact force of the ultrasound probe affects the image quality and repeatability of the ultrasound, thereby affecting the diagnostic ability. Therefore, we propose and develop a flexible and fully autonomous breast ultrasound scanning system. We aimed to improve the autonomy and stability of the scanning process by designing end-to-end automated scanning strategies, flexible clamping devices, and closed-loop force control strategies. Among them, the fully automatic three-dimensional perception and trajectory planning can provide global fitting capabilities to different forms of breast surfaces and control the probe to maintain the best contact posture. At the same time, the fully automatic workflow reduces additional interference and reduces the complexity of the workflow. The flexible ultrasound probe clamping device improves the passive applicability to flexible tissues and reduces the resistance in the scanning process. The closed-loop force control strategy can adjust the contact force in real time. Experiments verified that the repeatability could be evaluated by contact force. A series of human&#x2013;machine comparison experiments verified the advancement and effectiveness of the system. In future research, we will further solve the problem of abnormalities and repeatability of ultrasound images acquired during the scanning process by combining the multi-modal feedback of images and forces.

Nonfragile Output Feedback Tracking Control for Markov Jump Fuzzy Systems Based on Integral Reinforcement Learning Scheme.

In this article, a novel integral reinforcement learning (RL)-based nonfragile output feedback tracking control algorithm is proposed for uncertain Markov jump nonlinear systems presented by the Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model. The problem of nonfragile control is converted into solving the zero-sum games, where the control input and uncertain disturbance input can be regarded as two rival players. Based on the RL architecture, an offline parallel output feedback tracking learning algorithm is first designed to solve fuzzy stochastic coupled algebraic Riccati equations for Markov jump fuzzy systems. Furthermore, to overcome the requirement of a precise system information and transition probability, an online parallel integral RL-based algorithm is designed. Besides, the tracking object is achieved and the stochastically asymptotic stability, and expected H∞ performance for considered systems is ensured via the Lyapunov stability theory and stochastic analysis method. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm is verified by a robot arm system.

Enhancing Robotic Arm Performance: Integrating Arduino Control and Aerodynamic Principles for 6 Degrees of Freedom

This review paper explores the integration of Arduino control and aerodynamic principles to enhance the performance of 6 Degrees of Freedom (DOF) robotic arms. Robotic arms have become indispensable in numerous industries, requiring increased precision, efficiency, and adaptability. By leveraging the capabilities of Arduino microcontrollers and incorporating aerodynamic principles, researchers and engineers can optimize the design, control algorithms, and energy efficiency of robotic arms. This paper provides an overview of Arduino control and its advantages for robotic arm control, as well as an exploration of aerodynamic principles applicable to robotic arm systems. It investigates the potential benefits of integrating Arduino control and aerodynamics, such as improved stability, reduced energy consumption, and enhanced speed. Challenges and limitations of the proposed approach are also discussed. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature, case studies, and experimental results, this paper highlights the effectiveness of integrating Arduino control and aerodynamic principles to enhance the performance of 6 DOF robotic arms. The findings contribute to the advancement of robotic arm technology and offer insights for future research and development in this field.

Sliding mode control for Markovian jump systems subject to randomly occurring injection attacks: Handling aperiodic sampling issues

This paper investigates the sliding mode control for Markovian jump systems with the aperiodic sampling and cyber attacks, where the sampling period varies over a known interval and the system state is sampled and transmitted to the controller. Meanwhile, injection attacks may be randomly occurred when the control signals are transmitted to the actuator. The sampled-state based sliding mode controller is designed, where by choosing a mode-dependent sliding surface. With the aid of the improved looped functional, both the reachability of the specified sliding surface and the stochastic stability of the closed-loop system are analyzed. Furthermore, the genetic algorithm is used to search a desirable sliding matrix via minimizing the sliding domain. In the end, a single arm robot arm systems is applied to verify the proposed control scheme.

Improved Dynamic Event-Triggered Robust Control for Flexible Robotic Arm Systems with Semi-Markov Jump Process

In this paper, we investigate the problem of a dynamic event-triggered robust controller design for flexible robotic arm systems with continuous-time phase-type semi-Markov jump process. In particular, the change in moment of inertia is first considered in the flexible robotic arm system, which is necessary for ensuring the security and stability control of special robots employed under special circumstances, such as surgical robots and assisted-living robots which have strict lightweight requirements. To handle this problem, a semi-Markov chain is conducted to model this process. Furthermore, the dynamic event-triggered scheme is used to solve the problem of limited bandwidth in the network transmission environment, while considering the impact of DoS attacks. With regard to the challenging circumstances and negative elements previously mentioned, the adequate criteria for the existence of the resilient H∞ controller are obtained using the Lyapunov function approach, and the controller gains, Lyapunov parameters and event-triggered parameters are co-designed. Finally, the effectiveness of the designed controller is demonstrated via numerical simulation using the LMI toolbox in MATLAB.

Digital Twin Haptic Robotic Arms: Towards Handshakes in the Metaverse

More daily interactions are happening in the digital world of the metaverse. Providing individuals with means to perform a handshake during these interactions can enhance the overall user experience. In this paper, we put forward the design and implementation of two right-handed underactuated Digital Twin robotic arms to mediate the physical handshake interaction between two individuals. This allows them to perform a handshake while they are in separate locations. The experimental findings are very promising as our evaluation shows that the participants were highly interested in using our system to shake hands with their loved ones when they are physically separated. With this Digital Twin robotic arms system, we also found a correlation between the handshake characteristics and personality traits of the participants from the handshake data collected during the experiment.

Target Detection-Based Control Method for Archive Management Robot.

With increasing demand for efficient archive management, robots have been employed in paper-based archive management for large, unmanned archives. However, the reliability requirements of such systems are high due to their unmanned nature. To address this, this study proposes a paper archive access system with adaptive recognition for handling complex archive box access scenarios. The system comprises a vision component that employs the YOLOV5 algorithm to identify feature regions, sort and filter data, and to estimate the target center position, as well as a servo control component. This study proposes a servo-controlled robotic arm system with adaptive recognition for efficient paper-based archive management in unmanned archives. The vision part of the system employs the YOLOV5 algorithm to identify feature regions and to estimate the target center position, while the servo control part uses closed-loop control to adjust posture. The proposed feature region-based sorting and matching algorithm enhances accuracy and reduces the probability of shaking by 1.27% in restricted viewing scenarios. The system is a reliable and cost-effective solution for paper archive access in complex scenarios, and the integration of the proposed system with a lifting device enables the effective storage and retrieval of archive boxes of varying heights. However, further research is necessary to evaluate its scalability and generalizability. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive box access system for unmanned archival storage. The system exhibits a higher storage success rate than existing commercial archival management robotic systems. The integration of the proposed system with a lifting device provides a promising solution for efficient archive management in unmanned archival storage. Future research should focus on evaluating the system's performance and scalability.

Observer-based dynamic event-triggered secure control for nonlinear networked control systems with false data injection attacks

This paper considers the problem of observer-based dynamic event-triggered secure control for nonlinear networked control systems (NCSs) under false data injection attacks (FDIA). A novel output feedback controller is developed by utilizing a sampled-data observer to relieve the impacts of unmeasured states and FDIA. To make full use of the limited network resources, a dynamic periodic event-triggered mechanism (PETM) with an auxiliary variable is designed, which can reduce the transmission of information. Then, an approximation of injected false data is implemented based on an adaptive neural network (NN) in the presence of FDIA. Based on the proposed control strategy, the boundness of the nonlinear NCSs can be ensured by selecting some proper parameters. Finally, the effectiveness and validity of the proposed control strategy are illustrated via simulation of a single link robot arm system.

Simulation Study on Energy Recovery and Regeneration of Hybrid Loader Arm

In response to the problem of large energy waste in the loader actuator, a hybrid loader boom arm energy recovery and regeneration system is proposed, which adopts a supercapacitor as the energy storage element. Firstly, the working principle of the hybrid loader boom arm energy recovery and regeneration system is analyzed. Secondly, the mathematical model of the components is analyzed. Finally, AMESim is used to model the system. The simulation is carried out under typical working conditions with the LiuGong ZL50C loader as the simulation object and compared with the conventional system. The simulation results show that the hybrid power system does not affect the motion characteristics of the loader boom arm system compared with the conventional system. The hybrid power system can perform energy recovery regardless of the mode of operation, and the energy recovery efficiency reaches 55.7 %. When the system enters the hybrid mode, the supercapacitor SOC fluctuates less, and the energy regeneration efficiency reaches 90 %. The hybrid power system can effectively reduce engine fuel consumption and pollutant emissions, with the system's energy-saving efficiency of 44.4 % and CO, HC, and NOx emissions reduced by 41.1 %, 47 %, and 19.8 %, respectively. The system provides a reference for the research of energy-saving technology of the loaders, effectively reducing the operating cost of the loaders.

Vibration Control Using Modern Control System for Hybrid Composite Flexible Robot Manipulator Arm

In this research, a model of a robotic manipulator flexible structure and an equation of motion for controller design is planned. The structural material for the robot structure is chosen as a hybrid composite for this investigation along with a comparison study is carried out for the aluminium 6082 alloy of flexible manipulator arm application. To analyses, the vibration behavior and control implementation by adding joint flexibility in the system is organized. Using simulation algorithm, system parameter calculation is carried out through MATLAB software for vibration amplitude, transient period, steady-state error, and settling time of flexible robotic arm system. In a systematized way of motion equation, flexible robotic deflections are organized via the assumed mode (AM) and Lagrange techniques (LT). The graph analysis of hybrid composite and AL6082 materials with high stiffness coefficients is plotted. These obtained values from the plot are utilized for Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) controller design. The LQR output facts for both aluminium structural robotic arm and composite material robotic arms are established.

До розроблення методології побудови систем протиповітряної та протиракетної оборони. Обґрунтування апарата дослідження

Substantiation of the research tools has been performed as a part of methodology development for the air and missile defense system. The problem under consideration is very complex due to the multifactorial nature of the research object, its qualitative variety and manifold structure, incomplete definition of the problem statement. Furthermore, the ability of modern technologies to produce different arms systems, which are capable of carrying out same class tasks, considerably increases the risk of making not the best decisions. Based on this, as well as taking into account the sharp increase in the cost of weaponry, the considered problem is classified as an optimization one that should be solved through the theory of operations research. In this theory, such task is viewed as a mathematical problem, and mathematical simulation is the basic method of research. The main types of mathematical models, their areas of application have been considered as a part of the analysis. The classification of mathematical models has been indicated according to the scale of reproduced operations, purpose, and goal orientation. Quantitative and qualitative correlation of forces has been accepted as the efficiency criterion, which determines a goal orientation of the model. The problems related to this have been shown. In particular, searching for the compromise between simplicity of the mathematical model and its adequacy to the research object is among these problems. Two of the basic approaches to principles of the military operation model construction and its assessment have been considered. The first is implemented through modeling of the combat operations. The second approach is based on the assumption that different armament types can be compared based on their contribution to the outcome of the operation, and on the possibility to assign «a weighting coefficient» named as a combat potential to each of these types. The modern level of problem solving related to this method has been shown. The reasonability of its application in the considered task, including the definition of forces correlation of the opposing parties, has been substantiated. The basic regulations of the construction concept of the required mathematical model and tools for its research have been formulated based on the analysis results: the assigned problem should be solved by analytical methods through the theory of operations research; the analytical model is the most acceptable conception of the analyzed level of the military operation; the synthesis of the model should be based on the idea of a combat potential. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the known approach to the definition of forces correlation, which uses the combat potential method, has a number of essential limitations, including the methodological ones. Therefore, within the bounds of further research, this approach requires the development both in terms of improving the reliability of the single assessment and in terms of giving the system qualities to the synthesized mathematical model. Key words: multifunctional system, mathematical model, military unit, combat potential, correlation of forces, defensive sufficiency.

Методологія вибору проектних параметрів маршових двигунів на твердому паливі. Математичне та програмне забезпечення

Substantiation of the research tools has been performed as a part of methodology development for the air and missile defense system. The problem under consideration is very complex due to the multifactorial nature of the research object, its qualitative variety and manifold structure, incomplete definition of the problem statement. Furthermore, the ability of modern technologies to produce different arms systems, which are capable of carrying out same class tasks, considerably increases the risk of making not the best decisions. Based on this, as well as taking into account the sharp increase in the cost of weaponry, the considered problem is classified as an optimization one that should be solved through the theory of operations research. In this theory, such task is viewed as a mathematical problem, and mathematical simulation is the basic method of research. The main types of mathematical models, their areas of application have been considered as a part of the analysis. The classification of mathematical models has been indicated according to the scale of reproduced operations, purpose, and goal orientation. Quantitative and qualitative correlation of forces has been accepted as the efficiency criterion, which determines a goal orientation of the model. The problems related to this have been shown. In particular, searching for the compromise between simplicity of the mathematical model and its adequacy to the research object is among these problems. Two of the basic approaches to principles of the military operation model construction and its assessment have been considered. The first is implemented through modeling of the combat operations. The second approach is based on the assumption that different armament types can be compared based on their contribution to the outcome of the operation, and on the possibility to assign «a weighting coefficient» named as a combat potential to each of these types. The modern level of problem solving related to this method has been shown. The reasonability of its application in the considered task, including the definition of forces correlation of the opposing parties, has been substantiated. The basic regulations of the construction concept of the required mathematical model and tools for its research have been formulated based on the analysis results: the assigned problem should be solved by analytical methods through the theory of operations research; the analytical model is the most acceptable conception of the analyzed level of the military operation; the synthesis of the model should be based on the idea of a combat potential. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the known approach to the definition of forces correlation, which uses the combat potential method, has a number of essential limitations, including the methodological ones. Therefore, within the bounds of further research, this approach requires the development both in terms of improving the reliability of the single assessment and in terms of giving the system qualities to the synthesized mathematical model. Key words: multifunctional system, mathematical model, military unit, combat potential, correlation of forces, defensive sufficiency.

Reconfigurable wheel-crawler-integrated walking mechanism design and kinetic analysis

PurposeThis study aims to the complex and unpredictable terrain environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau scientific research station, such as cement road, wetland, gravel desert, snowfield, ice surface, grassland, slimy ground, steep slope, step, etc., a reconfigurable walking mechanism based on two movement modes of wheel and triangular crawler was proposed.Design/methodology/approachBy analyzing the deformation mechanism of the walking mechanism, a reconfigurable wheel-crawler-integrated walking mechanism and the configuration scheme are designed. The analysis of the kinematics and mechanical properties of the swing arm system and the deformation mechanism of the walking mechanism.FindingsThe reconfigurable wheel-crawler-integrated walking mechanism can be switched between the wheel and triangular crawler modes by driving the deformation mechanism. Through the numerical simulation of its movement process, and the trial production and experiment of the prototype, indicates the validity of the reconfigurable wheel-crawler-integrated walking mechanism design.Originality/valueThe work of this paper provides a reconfigurable wheel-crawler-integrated-walking mechanism, which can be used by robots in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau scientific research station. It has excellent reconfigurability and can effectively improve the robot’s adaptability to complex terrain.