Stair-Climbing Wheeled Robot Based on Rotating Locomotion of Curved-Spoke Legs

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Mechatronics

Background:

• Stair-climbing robots require advanced locomotion mechanisms to navigate uneven terrain.
• Existing wheeled robots often struggle with stair ascent due to limitations in mobility and adaptability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and analyze a novel wheel-leg mechanism for stair-climbing robots.
• To develop kinematic and dynamic formulations for a robot utilizing rotating leg locomotion.
• To establish design requirements for successful single-wheel stair climbing.

Main Methods:

• Development of a wheel-leg mechanism with four motor-driven tires and four curved-spoke legs.
• Formulation of kinematic and dynamic equations governing the robot's motion.
• Analysis of single-wheel climbing conditions using kinematic inequality equations.
• Determination of minimum friction coefficients for static and dynamic analyses.

Main Results:

• The proposed curved-spoke leg design enables a wheel-leg robot to climb stairs.
• Kinematic constraints between the spoke and wheel facilitate lifting and pulling the wheel onto surfaces.
• Dynamic analysis validates stair-climbing ability, accounting for tire and leg frictional slip.
• A minimum friction coefficient was determined for stable single-wheel climbing.

Conclusions:

• The novel wheel-leg mechanism with rotating curved-spoke legs is effective for stair climbing.
• The developed formulations provide a basis for designing and analyzing such robots.
• This locomotion strategy offers a promising solution for robots operating in complex environments.