A Multi-Configuration Track-Legged Humanoid Robot for Dexterous Manipulation and High Mobility: Design and Development

Abstract

Various applications (e.g., disaster response) put forward higher requirements for the capabilities of robots. However, to date, few platforms can be compatible with the required mobility, stability and dexterity. A major challenge is mobile stability may severely limit the variety of manipulation skills. To tackle the issue, this paper presents a new track-legged humanoid robot, Dexbot, aiming to achieve both dexterity and mobility simultaneously. Dexbot is composed of a versatile humanoid upper body and a track-legged mobile platform, with a total of 56 active DOFs and about 10 transformable configurations, allowing for precise manipulation and traversal of various complex environments. Additionally, it features a lightweight and highly integrated design, with notable dexterity, strength and mobility in its class. Herein, this paper reports a brief overview of each subsystem, focusing on the robotic structure, system architecture, and some applied strategies of capabilities development. Lastly, some essential performances are demonstrated through a series of experiments.