Effects of Wheel Synchronization for the Hybrid Leg-Wheel Robot Asguard

Zusammenfassung (Abstract) :

Hybrid Leg-Wheel Robots have gained increasing popularity over the last years, as they can combine the terrain negotiation ability of legged systems with the efficiency and simplicity of wheeled systems. In this paper, the effects of locomotion patterns on the system's efficiency are studied for the legged-wheel robot Asguard. The locomotion pattern is controlled by setting the motion offsets between the wheels, and maintaining the synchronization during the motion using a cascaded positionvelocity controller. The front-back and left-right wheel offsets are changed to generate different patterns. The efficiency of locomotion for these offsets, defined by specific resistance, is experimentally determined at different speed and terrain configurations. Experimental data was gathered with the help of a motion tracker system, to also analyze the vibration of the robot. The locomotion offsets showed a significant impact on the effciency, especially at low speeds.