Design and locomotion analysis of two kinds of rolling expandable mobile linkages with a single degree of freedom

Abstract

This study presents two kinds of rolling robots that are able to roll by deforming their outer shapes with a single degree of freedom. Each robot is an essential multi-loop planar expandable linkage constructed by a concave outer loop and several inner parallelogram loops. In this study, the mechanical design of the robots is introduced. Dynamic rolling process is further analyzed on the basis of zero moment point method, and a morphing strategy is proposed to guarantee a stable dynamic rolling process. A novel passive rolling locomotion is also developed, which enables the robots to roll and stand on a slope. To verify the design, two prototypes are manufactured, wherein the dynamic and passive rolling locomotion are carried out.

Keywords

rolling locomotion / expandable mechanism / mechanism design / zero moment point (ZMP) analysis

References

[1] Armour R H, Vincent J F V. Rolling in nature and robotics: A review. Journal of Bionics Engineering, 2006, 3(4): 195–208

[2] Henschel J. Feature creature–The golden wheel spider. Gobabeb Times, 2005, 1: 3

[3] Caldwell R L. A unique form of locomotion in a stomaopod–backward somersaulting. Nature, 1979, 282(5734): 71–73

[4] Phipps C C, Shores B E, Minor M A. Design and quasi-static locomotion analysis of the rolling disk biped hybrid robot. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 2008, 24(6): 1302–1314

[5] Sproewitz A, Moeckel R, Maye J, et al. Learning to move in modular robots using central pattern generators and online optimization. International Journal of Robotics Research, 2008, 27(3–4): 423–443

[6] Shi R D, Zhang X L, Tian Y B, A CPG-based control method for the rolling locomotion of a desert spider. In: Proceedings of IEEE Workshop on Advanced Robotics and its Social Impacts. Shanghai: IEEE, 2016, 243–248

[7] Tian Y B, Yao Y A. Dynamic rolling analysis of triangular-bipyramid robot. Robotica, 2015, 33(4): 884–897

[8] Liu C H, Yao Y A, Li R M, Rolling 4R linkages. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 2012, 48: 1–14

[9] Yamawaki T, Mori O, Omata T. Nonholonomic dynamic rolling control of reconfigurable 5R closed kinematic chain robot with passive joints. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Taipei: IEEE, 2003, 4054–4059

[10] Wang Y, Wu C, Yu L, Dynamics of a rolling robot of closed five-arc-shaped-bar linkage. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 2018, 121: 75–91

[11] Sastra J, Chitta S, Yim M. Dynamic rolling for a modular loop robot. International Journal of Robotics Research, 2009, 28(6): 758–773

[12] Patel J, Ananthasuresh G K. A kinematic theory for radially foldable planar linkages. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 2007, 44(18–19): 6279–6298

[13] Lu S N, Zlatanov D, Ding X L, A new family of deployable mechanisms based on the Hoekens linkage. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 2014, 73: 130–153

[14] Wohlhart K. Cyclic polyhedra and linkages derived therefrom. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 2017, 108: 142–159

[15] Gogu G. Mobility of mechanisms: A critical review. Mechanism and Machine Theory, 2005, 40(9): 1068–1097

[16] Kim J, Chung W K, Youm Y, Real-time ZMP compensation method using null motion for mobile manipulators. In: Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Washington: IEEE, 2012, 1967–1972

[17] Takanishi A, Tochizawa M, Takeya T, Realization of dynamic biped walking stabilized with trunk motion under known external force. In: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Advanced Robotics. Columbus: IEEE, 1989, 299–310

[18] Inoue R, Asano F, Tanaka D, Passive dynamic walking of combined rimless wheel and its speeding-up by adjustment of phase difference. In: Proceedings of IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. San Francisco: IEEE, 2011, 25–30

[19] Wisse M, Keliksdal G, Frankenhyyzen J, Passive-based walking robot. IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, 2007, 14(2): 52–62

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 2019JBZ109).ƒ

Electronic Supplementary Material

The supplementary material can be found in the online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11465-020-0585-3) and is accessible to authorized users.

Open Access

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.‚‚

The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.‚‚

To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2020 The Author(s) 2020. This article is published with open access at link.springer.com and journal.hep.com.cn