Development of HELIOS IX: An Arm-Equipped Tracked Vehicle

Abstract

We have been developing an arm-equipped, tracked vehicle, “HELIOS IX,” for search and rescue tasks in urban environments. HELIOS IX has to be operated by remote control to carry out several tasks, such as the opening of doors, negotiation of stairs, and handling of objects. In this paper, the mechanical design and the system architecture that satisfy the required specifications are described. Through experiments, it is verified that the robot can climb stairs smoothly by using a part of its arm as a sled, and it can open and pass through a door by utilizing the configuration of the vehicle.