Mobile Robot Utilizing the Rotational Motion of its Arms —Effect of Applying an Oscillation Mechanism—

In this study, we propose a mobile robot that can start moving by utilizing the rotational movements of its two arms. The robot has two rotating arms and a body. It is equipped with a device that can fix its body to a platform constructed on a wall or floor. When the body is fixed to the platform, the robot can store the kinetic momentum of its center of mass by rotating its arms. When the body is released from the platform, the robot begins to move along the kinetic momentum of its center of mass. In our previous study, we demonstrated the feasibility of a mobile robot that hopped up and down the steps under Earth’s gravity, and we assessed its performance of the robot by performing numerical simulations. In the present study, we evaluated the performance of the mobile robot as it moved on a flat, low-friction floor, and we assessed the implementability of a device capable of fixing the robot’s body to a platform, by conducting a round-trip movement experiment. Furthermore, we proposed a modified mobile robot equipped with an oscillation mechanism and verified the feasibility of the modified mobile robot through comparative experiments.