Q-Whex: A simple and highly mobile quasi-wheeled hexapod robot

Abstract

This paper presents the design and control of Q-Whex, an untethered, quasi-wheeled hexapod robot. Q-Whex has only six actuators—one motor located at each hip—achieving mechanical simplicity that promotes reliable and robust operation in real-world tasks. All of the robot's mechanical parts are simply fabricated with carbon fiber plates, which makes the robot very easy to make. Q-Whex is capable of performing wheeled-like smooth rides over flat ground with a tripod gait, and thereby prevent the common problem of trunk fluctuations in legged-wheel robots. It is also able to traverse height variations well exceeding its trunk clearance. The performance of Q-Whex is evaluated in various scenarios, including driving and turning over flat terrains, ramp-riding, step-crossing, stair-climbing, and irregular terrain-traversing.