Experimental comparison of robotics locomotion with passive tether and active tether

Abstract

Most small robots require a tethered connection with a power and control source. The tether has advantages, namely robust communication and safe recovery, and disadvantages, tangling with obstacles and rough terrain. Active tether is a new research area for tethered robot systems. It provides continuously distributed form of actuation for robots that results from the effect of water hammer. It also reduces the friction of the tether by the jerks from the water hammer effect. In this paper, we duplicate the active tethered system and test the performance of the active tethered system by comparing it with passive tethered system under our test conditions for mobile robot. The two experimental comparison tests are distance test and drag test, which all show the advantage of the active tethered system. Furthermore, we address the broad impact of this novel form of locomotion.