Bioinspired Robot with Walking, Rolling, and Jumping Capabilities for Planetary Exploration

Abstract

View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-2784.vid There are many applications of Unmanned Automated Systems on Earth that greatly benefit the advancement of science and technology. Although most UAS are utilized on Earth, there is rising interest in designing a UAS that can explore different planetary environments and harsh conditions. In this paper, we propose and explore a novel, bioinspired UAS concept and its dynamical modeling that can potentially aid in planetary exploration. This concept is a bioinspired Spider Rolling Robot (SRR), which mimics the rolling capabilities of the Golden Wheel Spider as it escapes predators. Other added capabilities include a folding and jumping mode for the SRR. The main objective of this robot is to use its increased mobility to explore harsh planetary environments and gather data in terrains that other rovers cannot access. This paper explores the bioinspiration for this robot, proposed missions that the SRR can possibly be capable of, the rolling capabilities of the SRR, and the dynamical modeling of the design.