Mechanical design of a modular quadruped robot - XDog

Abstract

This article presents the mechanical design of a modular quadruped robot, named XDog. The leg mechanism of XDog has coplanar hip joints with the leg apart from the body to increase the motion range of the hip joint. Gear pair is used to drive each joint to promise high motion accuracy and compact assembling. Based on the leg mechanism and driving type, only one actuator is mounted on the leg with others in the torso to reduce the mass of the leg. Moreover, the leg design is modularized in a bilateral way, making each leg is capable for left or right side, and for forward or backward direction of the body. The mechanical design of XDog robot has advantages in large range of joint motion, light-weight leg, compact and high-accuracy driving system, and modular leg mechanism, making this design practical for developing a quadruped robot platform.