Water and ground-running robotic platform by repeated motion of six spherical footpads

Abstract

Bioinspired robotic platforms are based on knowledge from nature. Most robots focus on a single type of locomotion, such as walking or flying. However, multilocomotive robots have recently attracted considerable attention from researchers. In this study, an amphibious robotic platform was developed for operating on water and ground surfaces with a single design. The robot uses spherical footpads to remain on the water surface based on buoyancy and drag forces. Ground walking is also achieved by repeated tripod motion of the spherical footpads. Klann mechanism was adopted and optimized to achieve the footpad motion for stable locomotion on both surfaces. The velocity and pitching angle were analyzed by simulation and experiments at various operating frequencies to validate the performance of the platform. This robot could be applied in nuclear power plant accidents after hydrodynamic-force-based steering by the tail is achieved.