Hybrid power supply for mobile robots

Service robots are frequently fitted with end-effecters, which require high energy, to achieve a specific task. Robots require high-power energy sources that can meet several goals simultaneously. Given the technology of today, a battery-driven robot cannot work for long on a single charge. Todevelop a new powerful battery technology may take many years of exhaustive research. In this paper, we present a dual-energized scheme called HYbrid POwer Supply (HYPOS) that integrates the function of batteries and a household electric system to supply a robot. This technique can be realized by existing technology and is applicable to a variety of indoor applications. The challenge of implementing the HYPOS system is to develop the outlet-connection procedures and to handle the electric cord to reduce movement disturbance. We report on the prototype robot and the experiments that illustrate the effectiveness and practicality of this proposed system. The result has shown that the HYPOS system can supply a robot consecutively for almost 2 h and its efficiency is 73.6%, while the efficiency of a lead-acid battery is only 38.5%.