A study on a robot of the leg-vehicle type ascending and descending a set of stairs.

When the wheel-type locomotive robots move on a set of stairs, it is difficult for them to maintain a sense of balance and stable motion. In this paper, we deal with a new type of locomotive robot which is able to move in a plane and to go up and down a set of stairs. The robot, with its leg attached to a wheel, is formed by a series of mechanisms which allow it to ascend and descend in a vertical line. This method we denote as of the leg-vehicle type. A step is measured in terms of height and depth by using ultrasonic sensors. Our results indicate that stable locomotion of a leg-vehicle type robot can be attained.