A fully omnidirectional wheeled assembly for robotic vehicles

Abstract

Mobile robotic platforms are currently being investigated for transporting robots to various work sites and assisting robot movements at the work site. An ideal platform would be one with full 3-degree-of-freedom (DOF) movement (x,y translation and rotation) to enable tighter navigation and docking, obstacle avoidance, and improved manipulator reach. Three DOFs would also simplify control of the platform and make it more general, thus providing more opportunities for autonomous control. Such a 3-DOF platform has been developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and is being used for artificial intelligence research. Mathematical details on how these platforms are configured and controlled are also discussed. 5 refs., 6 figs.