Development of a leg-wheel hybrid mobile robot and its step-passing algorithm

Describes the development of a leg-wheel hybrid mobile robot and its step-passing algorithm. The authors have been developing a mobile robot named "Walk'n Roll". It has a leg-wheel hybrid locomotion mechanism. The robot has four legs, and a wheel is attached at the end of each leg. Legged locomotion has high adaptability for rough terrain, and wheeled locomotion possesses speed and efficiency. One of the obstacles that a wheeled vehicle can not pass is a step. A control algorithm for the leg-wheel hybrid mobile robot to pass a step is considered. The developed algorithm is implemented on Walk'n Roll, and is evaluated experimentally.