OmniWheg：全方向移動可能な車輪脚変形ロボット
OmniWheg: An Omnidirectional Wheel-Leg Transformable Robot
分離式オムニホイールと4節リンク機構を組み合わせ、車輪モードと脚モードを滑らかに切り替えられる全方向移動ロボットを開発し、段差や階段の踏破性能を評価した。
著者: Ruixiang Cao, Jun Gu, Chen Yu, Andre Rosendo
分類: cs.RO, cs.SY, eess.SY
原文アブストラクト
This paper presents the design, analysis, and performance evaluation of an omnidirectional transformable wheel-leg robot called OmniWheg. We design a novel mechanism consisting of a separable omni-wheel and 4-bar linkages, allowing the robot to transform between omni-wheeled and legged modes smoothly. In wheeled mode, the robot can move in all directions and efficiently adjust the relative position of its wheels, while it can overcome common obstacles in legged mode, such as stairs and steps. Unlike other articles studying whegs, this implementation with omnidirectional wheels allows the correction of misalignments between right and left wheels before traversing obstacles, which effectively improves the success rate and simplifies the preparation process before the wheel-leg transformation. We describe the design concept, mechanism, and the dynamic characteristic of the wheel-leg structure. We then evaluate its performance in various scenarios, including passing obstacles, climbing steps of different heights, and turning/moving omnidirectionally. Our results confirm that this mobile platform can overcome common indoor obstacles and move flexibly on the flat ground with the new transformable wheel-leg mechanism, while keeping a high degree of stability.
