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Design and analysis of multistage adaptive lateral deformation tracked robot

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Abstract

A multistage adaptive lateral deformation tracked robot is proposed based on module design. The mechanical structures of lateral and tracked deformations are established by analyzing the constraints of space barriers and the elastic potential energy change mechanism of internal storage. The interaction of the operating environment and the mechanism is analyzed during the deformation process, and the internal potential energy change mechanism is optimized using the NSGA-II algorithm. The dynamic model is established in RecurDyn software, and the main modules and their coupling relationships are analyzed. Finally, the robot prototype is fabricated, and the obstacle surmounting performance and deformation mode are verified through experimental tests. For small robots, it has the advantages of large load, long driving distance, strong obstacle surmounting ability, and stable steering on the slope, and for robots with the same size, it can increase or decrease its width, has stronger terrain passability and environmental adaptability, so that it can operate in different scenarios within the same mission.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61803142), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U1913211), and the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province of China (Grant No. F2021202016).

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Correspondence to Lingyu Sun.

Additional information

Yidong Bai was born in Handan, Hebei, China, in 1991. He received the M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hebei University of Engineering, Hebei, China, in 2018. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree of Mechanical Engineering at School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, China. His research interests focus on structural design of special robots especially around mobile robots, terramechanics, dynamic analysis, manufacturing and mechatronics systems.

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Bai, Y., Sun, L. & Zhang, M. Design and analysis of multistage adaptive lateral deformation tracked robot. J Mech Sci Technol 36, 371–383 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-021-1236-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-021-1236-2

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