Development of a multi-purpose module system using Mecanum wheel module

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Uchida, Yoshihisa^a; | Saito, Tamon^a | Hatakeyama, Tasuku^a

Affiliations: [a] Graduate School of Engineering, Aichi Institute of Technology, Toyota, Japan

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Yoshihisa Uchida, Aichi Institute of Technology, Toyota 4700392, Japan. E-mail: uchidayoshihisa@aitech.ac.jp

Abstract: A multi-purpose module system (MMS), a modular robot, comprises joint and function modules. This robot can be variously configured to form serially connected and quadruped robots. This study presents initial designs and tests for a new locomotion module that uses Mecanum wheels (WM11-01). The WM11-01 comprises two Mecanum wheels on a single rotating shaft. Using this locomotion module, MMS-V01-Wn is proposed. In addition, physical specifications for the robot and equations for its locomotion control scheme are developed. These equations deliver relative rotational speeds of the Mecanum wheels that should generate robot motion in any direction. The WM11-01, at a diameter of only 100 mm, can move through particularly narrow pipes and channel-shaped terrain. We tested the MMS-V01-W1 in a pipe and found that roughness in the pipe surface did not significantly affect the robot’s locomotion. The results below demonstrate the adaptability and effectiveness of a miniaturized omnidirectional locomotion module.

Keywords: MMS, modular robot, Mecanum wheel, module, Omni direction

DOI: 10.3233/JAE-171096

Journal: International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 967-975, 2019