Design, Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Mobile Robot Based on Eccentric Paddle Mechanism

In order to improve climbing performance of the robot in complex environments, the wheeled-legged mechanism is gradually being widely used. In this paper, we use computer-aided modeling technology to design a 2-DOF ePaddle-based robot of high step-climbing capacity. Climbing strategies of the robot under the circle-wheeled (CW) mode and active-paddle-legged (APL) mode are carried out. We discuss determinants for success in climbing by establishing the climbing posture models. Simulation results processed with MATLAB tools reveal that paddle’s motion can significantly improve the climbing performance to avoid slipping. The experimental results verify the robot is capable of climbing over 300mm obstacle APL modes, which is 2.14 times the wheel radius.