Xiaotian-Hybrid: A Novel Wheeled-Quadruped Platform

Abstract

Wheeled robots and legged robots are two primary classes of mobile robots, possessing different features and excel in different aspects. Wheeled robots can reach higher speed on flat ground with relatively high energy efficiency, while legged robots can move reliably on uneven terrain and overcome obstacles. In this paper, we design a wheeled-quadruped robot "Xiaotian-Hybrid", which combines the advantages from both wheeled and legged mechanisms and can switch moving mode between driving and stepping to achieve balance between efficiency and traversability. In addition, quadruped robots are always hard to assemble and disassemble due to the complex power transmission system on their legs and non-standard connection parts with hard-to-reach screws. We apply the idea of bottom-up modular design to make each essential part of the robot isolated from others, and therefore improving maintainability.