A Hybrid Humanoid-Wheeled Mobile Robotic Educational Platform – Design and Prototyping

Abstract

This research presents a novel, cost effective and indigenously developed educational framework for grasping hands-on concepts of Robotics and Mechatronics. The novelty of the platform lies in its ability to transform its shape from a humanoid to a wheeled mobile robot thus increasing the range of experiments that can be conducted using the proposed platform. The kinematics of the robot’s legs is derived based on Denavit-Hartenberg (D-H) parameters while its 3D model is designed in CAD software. An aluminum-made DC servo actuated prototype consisting of 17 Degree Of Freedom (DOF) bipedal robot with four wheels is then fabricated. Preliminary experiments with the prototype including dynamically stable gait pattern and successful shape transformation and tentative list of experiments using the proposed framework demonstrate efficacy of the platform potentially useful for robotics community academicians, educationalists and hobbyists. Keywords: Educational Platform, Humanoid Robot, Hybrid Mechanism, Wheeled Mobile Robot