Tensegrity Robot Wheels With Variable Diameter for Obstacle Climbing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wheels are inefficient in navigating obstacles and require large size for soft terrains, leading to increased cost and weight, and conventional robotic arms are costly and limited in adaptability.
Innovation Solution
The use of tensegrity structures in robotic wheels and arms, which consist of rigid rods and elastic cables, allowing for shape transformation between expanded and collapsed states, enabling improved locomotion on various terrains and increased adaptability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If conventional wheels are used for soft terrains like snow or sand, then the surface area must be increased to provide sufficient traction, but this increases the overall cost and weight of the robot
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel employs a tensegrity structure that can dynamically change its configuration between expanded and collapsed states. When expanded, the wheel achieves large surface area for soft terrain traction; when collapsed, it minimizes surface area for navigating obstacles and reducing weight. This dynamic adaptability resolves the contradiction between maintaining large surface area for traction and reducing weight for mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel's effective surface area parameter is changed by transitioning between expanded and collapsed configurations. The tensegrity structure allows the wheel to adjust its geometric parameters (radius, width) based on terrain requirements, thereby optimizing the area-to-weight ratio for different operating conditions.
2Length of moving object
If conventional wheels are made large to navigate obstacles like steps, then the obstacle overcoming capability is improved, but the cost and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tensegrity wheel dynamically adjusts its diameter by expanding to large size when obstacle negotiation is required and collapsing to compact size during normal travel. This eliminates the need for permanently large wheels, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining obstacle overcoming capability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The same wheel structure serves multiple functions: it acts as a compact, cost-effective wheel for normal travel and transforms into a large-diameter obstacle-climbing wheel when required. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for specialized large wheels, reducing overall manufacturing cost.
3Reliability
If conventional robotic arms are designed for specific tasks, then task performance is optimized, but adaptability to different tasks is reduced and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm employs tensegrity structures that can dynamically reconfigure their geometry and stiffness characteristics. By adjusting the tension in elastic cables and the configuration of rigid rods, the arm can adapt its mechanical properties to suit different tasks, maintaining high performance across diverse applications rather than being optimized for a single task.
Solution Approach 2:
The tensegrity-based robotic arm is designed as a universal manipulator that can perform multiple tasks through configuration changes. The same structural components (rigid rods, elastic cables, hubs) enable the arm to adapt its reach, stiffness, and dexterity for different operations, eliminating the need for task-specific arm designs and reducing overall system cost.
4Ease of operation
If conventional robotic arms include multiple joints for translational and rotational movement, then movement capability is improved, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tensegrity robotic arm achieves mobility through dynamic reconfiguration of its tensegrity units. Instead of relying on multiple heavy mechanical joints, the arm uses the relative motion and deformation of tensegrity structures (adjusting cable tensions and rod configurations) to achieve translational and rotational movements, significantly reducing weight while maintaining mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces traditional mechanical joint systems (with motors, gears, and linkages) with a tensegrity-based system that achieves similar degrees of freedom through elastic deformation and geometric reconfiguration. This substitution eliminates heavy mechanical components while preserving movement capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The tensegrity structures reduce cost and weight, enhance locomotion capabilities, and provide shock absorption, allowing the robots to navigate complex environments with ease and adapt to different tasks.
Implementation Method 1
The tensegrity structure defines a longitudinal axis and includes multiple rigid rods and multiple elastic cables
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure include a robotic wheel that includes a tensegrity structure, an inner hub, an outer hub, and a cable. The tensegrity structure includes multiple rigid rods and multiple elastic cables, and the tensegrity structure defines a longitudinal axis, a first end and a second end. The inner hub is disposed at the first end of the tensegrity structure and the outer hub is disposed at the second end of the tensegrity structure. The cable is in contact with the outer hub, extends through the tensegrity structure parallel to the longitudinal axis, and extends through the inner hub. The cable is operable to retract to transition the tensegrity structure to a collapsed state and to extend to transition the tensegrity structure an expanded state.