Mechanism design and autonomous movement and jump control for a jumping robot

Abstract

This work introduces an autonomous jumping robot, capable of moving over the ground, and identifying obstacles as well as jumping over stairs. The robot could be employed to patrol in a building subject to stairs. The robot requires fast autonomous motion and makes use of novel jumping mechanisms to be fit into small-packed volume, reducing the weight enough to be held on human's hand. Several sensors are located on the robot including: a camera for monitoring and tracking a target, PSD (Position Sensitive Device) for distance measurements and ultrasonic sensors for alignment. Jumping is achieved using a four-bar link mechanism that pushes against the ground with the help of the compressed spring. The jumping height can be controlled by changing the tilt angle of the robot body, which allows the robot to adapt the obstacle size.