Development of worm-rack driven cylindrical crawler unit

Abstract

In Japan, since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, attention has surrounded the development of disaster victim relief activity using robots. Development of a robot that can adapt to various environments in irregular places, rubble, and confined areas is necessary. A wheel movement type robot, a robot in the shape of a snake and a multi-leg robot are all described in the relevant literature as rescue robots that are currently studied. Among them, the tracked crawler robot can travel by traversing uneven ground flexibly with a crawler belt attached firmly to the ground surface. Although conventional crawler robots have high efficiency and/or high ground-covering ability, they require a comparatively large space to move. In this study, a cylindrical crawler robot based on worm-rack mechanism, which does not need large space to move and which has high ground-covering ability, is proposed. Experiments have demonstrated smooth operation and a forward movement of the robot by application of voltage to the motor. In addition, performance tests show that it can propel itself in confined spaces and in irregular areas. This paper reports the structure, drive mechanism, prototype, and experimental evaluation. Copyright © 2013 by JSME.