Overcoming Physical Limitations Utilizing the Surrounding Environment with a Wire‐Driven Multipurpose Robot

Abstract

The movements of robots are inherently constrained by their physical structure, making it challenging for them to respond flexibly to the complex tasks required in disaster situations or while assisting in daily life activities. Modular and transformable robots have been developed to address these challenges. However, no robot has been able to freely manipulate its operational wrench space while retaining scalability when operated with a powerful output wrench in a large workspace. This study proposes a concept for overcoming the constraints of the physical structure and accomplishing diverse tasks using the wire‐driven robot CubiX. CubiX connects itself to the environment using wires via drones and can move freely by winding these wires. Furthermore, CubiX can extend its capabilities by integrating with tools such as vacuum cleaners, tables, and other robots. For example, when CubiX is integrated with a quadruped robot, it not only gains walking capabilities but also creates additional value using the robot legs as arms for object manipulation while aerially navigating through a space using wire‐driven movements. This study demonstrates that the robot can exhibit capabilities beyond its structure by skillfully utilizing the environment.