Hybrid Locomotion Robot Research Articles

WheTLHLoc: Small-Scale Hybrid Locomotion Robot With Stair Climbing Capability

AbstractThis paper discusses the theoretical analysis and the experimental validation of the step and stair climbing capability of wheel-track-leg hybrid locomotion (WheTLHLoc), a small-scale hybrid locomotion robot with overall size of 450 × 350 × 130 mm and maximum payload of 0.5 kg. The architecture of this robot combines two tracks, two rotating legs, two actuated wheels, and two passive omni wheels. The robot is capable of performing different locomotion modes: wheeled locomotion on flat and compact grounds with maximum speed of 0.9 m/s, tracked locomotion on soft and yielding terrains with maximum speed of 0.1 m/s, mixed use of tracks, legs, and wheels to overcome obstacles. In particular, the process of step and stair climbing is analyzed considering static stability and non-slipping conditions. The experimental campaign on the first prototype has confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed climbing maneuver for steps up to 165 mm and the operative flexibility of the WheTLHLoc robot.

Mechanical Design and Analysis of Hybrid Mobile Robot with Aerial and Terrain Locomotion Capability

Although different locomotion mechanisms are available, the use of only one locomotion system in a mobile robot restricts its application scenarios. Hybrid locomotion improves the maneuverability and flexibility of a robot. This paper introduces a hybrid locomotion mobile robot, a combination of quadruped and quadrotor system. The robot has a unique expediency to fly to remote places, then walk to perform close range operations in the field. The prime intention is to use the quadrotor to tackle large objects by flying over it. The four legs provide easy movements in uneven terrain. Thus, this robot can be used in erratic and dynamic environments where stability, maneuverability and flexibility are required. This system can be used as first responders in search and rescue missions, where it responds before human responders gets to the site and get the entire information of the area in detail (like spotting trapped ones, getting detailed 3D mapping etc.). This platform offers unique capabilities suited for search and rescue, disaster zone assistance and surveillances. This paper elucidates the mechanical design and analysis of a hybrid locomotion robot. The solid model of the robot was made using CATIA and further analysis like static analysis, computational fluid dynamics analysis and drop test analysis were performed in ANSYS.

Novel Hybrid Leg-Track Locomotion Robot and its Stability Analysis Using a Unified Methodology

This paper proposes a novel hybrid robotic locomotion and discusses the development of a unified approach that can analyse legged and track modes of locomotion simultaneously. A hybrid locomotion robot designed using a combination of track and legs is suitable for safe manoeuvrability on dangerous uneven terrain, such as in minefields. Modelling a hybrid locomotion is difficult because of the complex kinematics and dynamics of different modes of locomotion (e.g. legged, track, and wheeled), when used simultaneously. The thrust of this work is, establishing the equivalence of a serial manipulator configuration for modelling tracked locomotion similar to legged locomotion. The spatial motion of the hybrid system is analysed by decomposing into serial manipulators and using suitable constraints. A novel approach to study stability is also presented for computing Multiple Zero Moment Point (MZMP) for the proposed robot that consists of many serial manipulator systems. The stability margins are determined using the correlation between MZMP and combined Zero Moment Point (ZMP), which provide information to identify the unstable dynamic sub systems that can then be rectified in real-time operations. In this paper, the design of the robot using leg and track locomotion is described, and the kinematic, dynamic and stability simulations conducted on the hybrid robotic locomotion using the unified approach are presented.

Motion Generation and Analysis of Hybrid Locomotion Robot Composed of Rimless Wheel and Seed-like Robot on Slippery Downhill

Motion Generation and Analysis of Hybrid Locomotion Robot Composed of Rimless Wheel and Seed-like Robot on Slippery Downhill

Design and Kinematic Aspects of a Hybrid Locomotion Robot

Comparing to wheeled robots, legged ones are more flexible and mobile on difficult terrain, where wheeled robots cannot go. Wheels excel on flat surfaces or specially prepared surfaces, where wheeled robots are faster than legged machines. Also, wheeled platforms have simpler mechanical architecture and control algorithms. But they do not perform well when terrain is uneven, which is the case in real life, legged robots becoming more interesting to research and explore. Hybrid locomotion systems were developed to exploit the terrain adaptability of legs in rough terrain and simpler control as well as high speed associated with wheels. In this paper some information about the mechanical design and kinematics of a small hybrid locomotion robot are presented.

Improving the energy efficiency and speed of walking robots

This study analyses the superior performance of gravitationally decoupled actuation in terms of energy efficiency, and hence autonomy. Based on the decoupling concept, a new design is presented for a 3 dof leg, and its performance is validated by including it in a 84kg hybrid locomotion robot. The proposed leg obtains a straight-line constant-velocity motion of the foot as only one of its 3 motors is operated at constant speed. This feature, together with the hybrid structure, increases the robot’s efficiency and speed when operating on surfaces without obstacles, and drastically simplifies the walking operation control. A series of simulations have been done comparing the energy consumption of the hybrid robot including traditional coupled legs, and including the proposed decoupled legs. They show a superior performance of the later one. A real prototype has been built including the proposed mechanism. It shows a similar performance to that obtained from simulation, and a natural gait in flat terrains,at speeds up to 0.9m/s.