Other than from its sensing and processing capabilities, a mobile robotic platform can be limited in its use by its ability to move in the environment. Legs, tracks and wheels are all efficient means of ground locomotion that are most suitable in different situations. Legs allow to climb over obstacles and change the height of the robot, modifying its viewpoint of the world. Tracks are efficient on uneven terrains or on soft surfaces (snow, mud, etc.), while wheels are optimal on flat surfaces. Our objective is to work on a new concept capable of combining different locomotion mechanisms to increase the locomotion capabilities of the robotic platform. The design we came up with, called AZIMUT, is symmetrical and is made of four independent leg-track-wheel articulations. It can move with its articulations up, down or straight, allowing the robot to deal with three-dimensional environments. AZIMUT is also capable of moving sideways without changing its orientation, making it omnidirectional. By putting sensors on these articulations, the robot can also actively perceive its environment by changing the orientation of its articulations. Designing a robot with such capabilities requires addressing difficult design compromises, with measurable impacts seen only after integrating all of the components together. Modularity at the structural, hardware and embedded software levels, all considered concurrently in an iterative design process, reveals to be key in the design of sophisticated mobile robotic platforms.

Abslmcf-AZIMUT is a mobile robotic platform that combines wheels, legs and tracks to move in thw-dimensional environments. The robot is symmetrical and is made of four independent leg-track-wheel articulations. It can move with its articulations up, down or straight, or to move sideways without changing the robot's orientation. To validate the concept, the first prototype developed measures 70.5 cm x 705 cm with the articulations up. It has a body clearance of 8.4 cm to 40.6 cm depending on the position of the articulations. The design of the robot is highly modular, with distributed embedded systems to control the different components of the robot (see video).

AZIMUT is a mobile robotic platform that combines wheels, legs and tracks to move in three-dimensional environments. Its design is the result of an interdisciplinary effort combining expertise in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering and industrial design. After presenting AZIMUT, this paper describes the challenges of designing such a robot, outlining the interdependencies between the disciplines and the difficult compromises that have to be made during the iterative design process of a mobile robotic platform. Modularity at the structural, hardware and embedded software levels, all considered concurrently in an iterative design process, reveals to be key in the design of sophisticated mobile robotic platforms.

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