Hostname: page-component-76c49bb84f-t6sgf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-07-07T12:31:05.969Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Experimental research of wheel-legged robot crossing obstacles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2025

Xin Mei Open the ORCID record for Xin Mei [Opens in a new window] ,
Yongle Wei ,
Chenguang Guo  and
Xingyuan Zhang
Xin Mei
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
Yongle Wei*
Affiliation:
College of Mechanical Engineering, Quzhou University, Quzhou, Zhejiang, China
Chenguang Guo
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
Xingyuan Zhang
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
*
Corresponding author: Yongle Wei; Email: weiyongle126@126.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Wheel-leg composite robots exhibit robust mobility and exceptional obstacle-crossing capabilities in complex environments. This paper proposes a novel transformable wheel-leg composite structure and presents the design of a wheel-leg composite obstacle-crossing robot, fundamentally configured as a two-wheeled quadruped. The research encompasses a comprehensive analysis of the robot’s overall mechanical structure, a detailed kinematic investigation of its body and obstacle-crossing gait planning, virtual prototype dynamics simulation, and field experimentation. Utilizing advanced modeling software, a 3D model of the robot was established. The kinematic characteristics of the robot in both wheeled and legged modes were thoroughly examined. Specifically, for the legged mode, the Denavit-Hartenberg coordinate system was established, and a detailed kinematic model was analyzed. The obstacle-crossing gait was planned based on the robot’s leg action mechanism. Furthermore, the Lagrangian method was employed to develop a mathematical model for the dynamics of the robot in both wheel-foot modes, allowing for a comprehensive force analysis. To validate the feasibility and rationality of the robot’s obstacle-crossing capabilities under various conditions, extensive simulations and prototype tests were conducted across diverse terrains. The results provide valuable insights and practical guidance for the structural design of wheel-leg composite obstacle-crossing robots, contributing to advancements in this promising field.

Keywords

wheel-legged robotobstacle-crossing gait planningmode switch

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Robotica , First View , pp. 1 - 21
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Yang, T. L., Topology Design of Robot Mechanisms (Science Press, Beijing, 2012).Google Scholar
Liu, X. B., Design and Research of Wheel-Leg Composite Mine Rescue Robot (Shandong University of Science and Technology, 2020). doi:10.27275/d.cnki.gsdku.2020.001808 Google Scholar
Xu, K., Wang, S. K., Yue, B. K., Wang, J. Z., Peng, H., Liu, D. C., Chen, Z. and Shi, M., “Adaptive impedance control with variable target stiffness for wheel-legged robot on complex unknown terrain,” Mechatronics 69(5), 102388 (2020).10.1016/j.mechatronics.2020.102388CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Q. Q., Li, Y. Z., Yao, Y. A. and Li, R. M., “Design and locomotivity analysis of a novel deformable two-wheel-like mobile mechanism,” Ind. Robot Int. J. Rob. Res. Appl. 47(3), 369–380 (2020).10.1108/IR-09-2019-0183CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ma, Y. C. and Lyu, F. J., “Design of A Wheel-Legged Stair Climbing Robot,” In: 2021 7th International Conference on Control, Automation and Robotics (ICCAR) (IEEE, 2021) pp. 146–150.10.1109/ICCAR52225.2021.9463485CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Song, Y. M., Hao, C. Y. and Yue, W. L., “Kinematic analysis and design of a new deformed wheel-legged mobile robot,” J. Tianjin Univ. (Nat. Sci. Eng. Technol.) 55(02), 111–121 (2022).Google Scholar
Bjelonic, M., Grandia, R., Harley, O., Galliard, C., Zimmermann, S. and Hutter, M., “Whole-Body MPC and Online Gait Sequence Generation for Wheeled-Legged Robots,” In: 2021 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (IEEE, 2021) pp. 8388–8395.10.1109/IROS51168.2021.9636371CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mao, N., Chen, J., Spyrakos-Papastavridis, E. and Dai, J. S., “Dynamic modeling of wheeled biped robot and controller design for reducing chassis tilt angle,” Robotica 42(8), 2713–2741 (2024). doi:10.1017/S0263574724001061.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ottaviano, E. and Rea, P., “Design and operation of a 2-DOF leg-wheel hybrid robot,” Robotica 31(8), 1319–1325 (2013). doi:10.1017/S0263574713000556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, L. Z., Zha, F. S., Guo, W., Chen, C., Sun, L. N. and Wang, P. F., “Heavy-duty hexapod robot sideline tipping judgment and recovery,” Robotica 42(5), 1403–1419 (2024). doi:10.1017/S0263574724000274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liang, L. F., Xu, Y. Q., Liang, H. and Yu, L., “System design and control of the sphere-wheel-legged robot,” Robotica 42(10), 3363–3379 (2024).10.1017/S0263574724001401CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cao, J. D., Zhang, J., Wang, T., Meng, J. H., Li, S. L. and Li, M., “Mechanism design and dynamic switching modal control of the wheel-legged separation quadruped robot,” Robotica 42(3), 660–683 (2024).10.1017/S0263574723001686CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, Y. S., Jung, G. P., Kim, H., Cho, K. and Chu, C., “Wheel transformer: A wheel-leg hybrid robot with passive transformable wheels,” IEEE Trans. Rob. 30(6), 1487–1498 (2014).10.1109/TRO.2014.2365651CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, Y., Zhang, R. Z., Guang, C. H. and Wang, Y., “A multi-segment deformed wheel for mobile robots,” J. Beijing Univ. Aeronaut. Astronaut. 44(08), 1712–1719 (2018).Google Scholar
Soyguder, S. and Boles, W., “SLEGS robot: Development and design of a novel flexible and self-reconfigurable robot leg,” Ind. Robot Int. J. 44(3), 377–391 (2017).10.1108/IR-03-2016-0109CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tadakuma, K., Tadakuma, R., Maruyama, A., Rohmer, E., Nagatani, K. and Yoshida, K., “Mechanical Design of the Wheel-Leg Hybrid Mobile Robot to Realize a Large Wheel Diameter,” In: IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IEEE, 2010) pp. 3358–3365.Google Scholar
Chen, X. D., Motion Planning and Control of Multi-Legged Walking Robots (Huazhong University of Science and Technology Press, 2006).Google Scholar
Tang, H. Y., Zhang, J. W., Pan, L. Q. and Zhang, D., “Optimum design for a new reconfigurable two-wheeled self-balancing robot based on virtual equivalent parallel mechanism,” J. Mech. Des. 145(5), 053302 (2023).10.1115/1.4056575CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grasser, F., D’arrigo, A., Colombi, S. and Rufer, A. C., “JOE: A mobile, inverted pendulum,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron. 49(1), 107–114 (2002).10.1109/41.982254CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dai, J. H., Research on Localisation and Map Building Algorithm of Coal Mine Rescue Robot with High Power Intrinsically Safe Drive (Chongqing University, 2019). doi:10.27670/d.cnki.gcqdu.2019.002641 Google Scholar
Yang, P. L., Reconfiguration Motion Analysis and Stability Control of Wheel-Legged Varicellular Robot during Parking and Steering (Hefei University of Technology, 2021). doi:10.27101/d.cnki.ghfgu.2021.002011 Google Scholar