WheelBert: A Remotely Operated Ground Vehicle for Multi-Terrain Environments

Remote Operated Ground Vehicles (ROGVs) are powerful tools that are used for safe operation in most unforgiving conditions. It is important that they can traverse multi-terrain environments for effective application. Previous studies have tackled this issue using transforming ROGVs. While studies have shown optimizations between flat and obstacle climbing terrain and between land and aquatic terrain, a gap still exists for explicit wheel design considerations for all three. Thus, the goal of this study is to design, develop, and test an amphibious multi-terrain ROGV with a transformable wheel-leg system to integrate climbing, rolling, and aquatic traversal capabilities. The design of the prototype was done through the integration of a transformable wheel-leg design and paddle wheel concept. Evaluation of the prototype (named WheelBert) was done under three key parameters – velocity in flat, uneven, and aquatic terrain, maximum surmountable step height, and maximum surmountable incline. Results from the tests show WheelBert’s performance as being slow in terms of straight-line speed in concrete, uneven, aquatic terrains with average velocities of 0.1621, 0.1130, and 0.0906 m/s, respectively. Slower velocity, in this case, is likely due to motor choice due to prioritization of torque output. Maximum step height exceeded its 200 mm goal following Philippine Building Code reaching a maximum step height of 279mm. Maximum incline results showed traversal up to 12° before passively transforming. Recommendations for future studies include improvements in chassis design, integration of sensors, improved electronics, and material choices.