Generating Vectored Thrust With the Rotational Paddling Gait of an ePaddle-EGM Mechanism: Modeling and Experimental Verifications

Abstract

An eccentric paddle mechanism based on the epicyclic gear mechanism (ePaddle-EGM), proposed to enhance the mobility of amphibious robots for multiterrains tasks, can execute several terrestrial and aquatic gaits. In this paper, we rectify the experimental setup as well as the thrust modeling to do further research on rotational paddling gait. The effects of the rotational period and the location of paddle shaft to the thrust are analyzed. Besides the amplitude features, experimental results also illustrate the vector character of thrust generated by the rotational paddling gait.