Abstract
This project introduces QHuMuS, a novel reconfigurable robot capable of transitioning between serpentine, wheeled-quadruped, and humanoid modes without any manual rearrangement. The key innovation lies in the transformation mechanism that allows the robot to adapt its morphology based on the terrain difficulty.
Developed a control framework for various locomotion modes including lateral undulation, linear progression, side winding, rolling, and wheeled quadruped walking gaits.
System Design
The robot consists of 12 Degrees of Freedom (DoF). The transformation logic was derived using:
- Mode A (Serpentine): High stability on flat ground
- Mode B (Wheeled-Quadruped): Ability to traverse gaps
- Mode C (Humanoid): Manipulation and climbing
Results & Experiments
We tested the robot in Gazebo simulation and hardware. The transition time between modes was optimized to 2.4 seconds. The robot demonstrated successful locomotion in all three modes.