Motion Planning for a Reconfigurable Robot to Cross an Obstacle

A reconfigurable modular planetary robot system (RMPRS) consists of a parent body and multiple asymmetric wheel-manipulator child-robots. As an agent, the child-robot independently performs locomotion and manipulation. The child-robots have reconfigurable capability so that a group of child-robots are combined to a variety of configurations. Moreover, the child-robot gives output in different forms under various constraint conditions from one driving force. Utilizing this characteristic, it can cross an obstacle automatically. But the guiding wheel and the arm have fatal influence on the height of the obstacle that the child-robot can cross. A motion planning method for highly improving the capability of crossing an obstacle for the child-robot is proposed, which makes use of the environment and the posture of arm. The validity of the planning method is demonstrated by the experiments of the physical prototype