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A Whegs Robot Featuring a Passively Compliant, Actively Controlled Body Joint

Abstract Details

2010, Master of Sciences (Engineering), Case Western Reserve University, EMC - Mechanical Engineering.
In this work, I present the next generation of Whegs™ robots, DAGSI Whegs™, which has been completed and extensively field-tested. Several innovations have made this robot more rugged and well suited to autonomous operation than previous designs. Specifically, an actively controlled, passively compliant body joint has been designed and tested. To date, it is the only Whegs body joint to have never failed. The chassis is a structural box design, which is both water and dirt resistant, and provides a flexible mounting system for electronics. New designs of the wheel-legs, torsion devices and steering mechanisms have also been developed and tested. Two large payload spaces have been created by moving the drive chains to the interior sides of the chassis, and the torsion devices to the outside. A two-dimensional dynamic simulation of the robot has also been constructed, and has been used to study the effects of weight distribution on obstacle climbing and to investigate future autonomous climbing strategies. Moving the center of mass forward allows the robot to climb taller obstacles. Using a weight distribution optimized using simulation, DAGSI Whegs™ can climb step shaped obstacles as tall as 2.19 times the length of a leg. Results from field testing show that the robot has good climbing capabilities in rugged unstructured terrain.
Roger Quinn, D (Advisor)
Joseph Mansour (Committee Member)
Kiju Lee (Committee Member)
88 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Boxerbaum, A. S. (2010). A Whegs Robot Featuring a Passively Compliant, Actively Controlled Body Joint [Master's thesis, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1270238370

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Boxerbaum, Alexander. A Whegs Robot Featuring a Passively Compliant, Actively Controlled Body Joint. 2010. Case Western Reserve University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1270238370.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Boxerbaum, Alexander. "A Whegs Robot Featuring a Passively Compliant, Actively Controlled Body Joint." Master's thesis, Case Western Reserve University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1270238370

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)