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A walking and climbing quadruped robot capable of ground-wall transition: design, mobility analysis and gait planning

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Abstract

We present WCQR-III, an untethered bioinspired climbing robot capable of versatile locomotion, including ground walking, wall climbing and ground-to-wall transition. Inspired by gecko lizards, WCQR-III features a structure comprising four feet and one tail. The foot design incorporates a switching mechanism to seamlessly transition between walking and climbing modes. A spiny claw provides wall adhesion, while a rubber pad offers friction and cushioning for ground walking. Leveraging the screw theory, we establish a kinematic model to analyze the robot's mobility and transition ability. In the walking mode, a trotting gait is adopted, while the climbing mode introduces a detaching angle, pause, and backswing movement of spiny toes, facilitating easy detachment from surfaces. An offline search algorithm optimizes the motion trajectory. Mobility analysis of different configurations confirms that a crouched posture is necessary for successful ground-to-wall transition. Experimental verification on WCQR-III demonstrates a maximum speed of 0.46 m/s on horizontal ground, 0.23 m/s on vertical walls, and successful achievement of ground-to-wall transition.

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Funding

Special key project of technological innovation and application development in Chongqing (Grant no. CSTB2022TIAD-KPX0134).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Intelligent Machines, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China

    Shengchang Fang, Shuyuan Shi, Xuan Wu & Xiaojie Wang

  2. University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China

    Shengchang Fang & Shuyuan Shi

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  1. Shengchang Fang
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Correspondence to Xiaojie Wang.

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Fang, S., Shi, S., Wu, X. et al. A walking and climbing quadruped robot capable of ground-wall transition: design, mobility analysis and gait planning. Intel Serv Robotics 16, 431–451 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11370-023-00475-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11370-023-00475-5

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