Evolving adabot: A mobile robot with adjustable wheel extensions

Abstract

Robots are increasingly being utilized in unstructured environments. Autonomous mobile robots are being assigned with tasks that are either too difficult or too dangerous for people. For instance, search and rescue robots can be deployed in unstable environments to aid in the search for disaster victims. In this paper, we propose a novel design for an autonomous mobile robot that can dynamically adjust traction during runtime. Our device, called Adabot meaning adaptive robot, is small, has a simple design, and can extend wegs from its wheels by adjustable amounts. We optimize both the morphology and the control parameters of Adabot using differential evolution, and our simulation results show that Adabot is effectively able to take advantage of both purely wheeled locomotion and legged-wheel locomotion by transitioning automatically between these two modes.