음의 포아송비 구조를 활용한 협소 공간 극복 이동로봇

Abstract

In this study, a novel size adjustable robot that could overcome an unstructured environment was introduced. To provide the robot with a volume-modifiable function, negative Poisson’s ratio structure with a unique characteristic about deformation of material was applied to the design of the body frame. The robot could simultaneously adjust its width and length with only one directional control with the help of the negative Poisson’s ratio structure. An omni-directional mobile mechanism was adopted to drive its wheels and allow flexible movement in a narrow space. However, during the procedure to adjust the size of the robot, a slip phenomenon occurred, resulting in an unnecessary movement. To solve this problem, the unnecessary offset was measured through repetitive tests and applied to the robot to compensate the position shift. To verify the performance of the robot, a test bed with a narrow space was fabricated. Extensive experiments were conducted to evaluate environmental recognition and size adjustment function by calculating the width of the narrow space and scaling the robot's body. Results confirmed that the robot sufficiently achieved the motion objective to move in a narrow space with its size adjustment function.