Mechatronics Design and Simulation of a novel Hybrid Ground/Aerial robot for Infrastructure Inspection

Robots with hybrid or multimodal mobility in the land, air, and water environments have rapidly developed in recent years. In domains like rescue, exploration, inspection, and environmental monitoring, where multi-domain missions are frequent, there is growing interest in the search for more versatile and adaptable robots. The purpose of the paper is to design and simulate a hybrid land/air robot that has high maneuverability and efficient use of battery power. The robot is capable of both terrestrial and aerial locomotion, which increases its flexibility, utility, and robustness. The hybrid mobility mode improves the robot's versatility and mobility, drawing inspiration from species such as birds and insects. This conference paper significantly advances the field by providing an indepth examination of the design and simulation of a hybrid drone capable of seamless land and aerial operation. The innovative simulation framework established in this work serves as a strong foundation for analyzing the performance of both unmanned aerial and ground vehicles. Furthermore, it deepens our understanding of the ROS framework and demonstrates its integration with simulators such as Gazebo, including the incorporation of a detailed SolidWorks model into the Gazebo environment.