Configuration Design of the Adaptive Suspension Vehicle

Abstract

The selection of vehicle and leg configuration and of power transmission and actuation system configuration for the adaptive suspension vehicle ( ASV) are discussed. The ASV will be a proof-of-concept prototype of a proposed class of transportation vehicles for use in terrain that is not passable for conventional vehicles. It uses a legged locomotion princi ple. The machine will not be an autonomous "robot, " in the sense that it will carry an operator. It will, however, have a very high level of machine intelligence and environmental sensing capability. Much of the technology involved is unique and has potential for application to future robot systems. In this paper, major aspects of the vehicle and leg geometry, the on-board processing configuration, and the hydrostatic power transmission system are discussed.

Minimizing Energy Cost in Multi-Legged Walking Machines

“…The obtained energy was divided by the traveled distance multiplied by the machine's weight what gave specific resistance. According to the used terminology the specific resistance is the energy needed for carrying of a unit weight over a unit distance [28]. Figure 8 illustrates the most representative results for straight line motion on a horizontal surface.…”

“…The problem of energy savings is not treated there so often. In the early publications in this area relations between specific resistance (normalized energy) and the set of normalized walking machine parameters was investigated [28]. The studies produced suggestions concerning favorable relations between step length, body height, trunk and leg masses.…”

Review of Development Stages in the Conceptual Design of an Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator for Robotics

“…One such application is the vehicle with adaptive suspension [16][17][18], which is the result of a military scientific project conducted at the University of Ohio during the eighties of the twentieth century. Some time later, Bobrow published his paper on the development of a hydraulic drive for robotic applications [19].…”

Analysis and 2D Simulation of a Hexapod Robot Leg for Remote Exploration

“…The design [4] corresponds to a hexapod, and has three independent DC motor actuator in each leg, with a walking motion that can be performed as follows: the robot can stand in three legs in a triangular configuration meanwhile the other three legs are in the air. To obtain the normal translation movement, the three legs on the floor can perform a rowing motion forward and when they reached the maximum motion, the legs in the air can come down and the same procedure will follow.…”