Judgment of Staircase Climbing Capability for Tracked Robots

Tracked robots are widely used for Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) missions, reconnaissance applications, and operations in hazardous environments. Among all various terrain types, stairways are one the most challenging obstacles which these robots face. In this paper, we present an analytical method to assess a tracked robot’s capability to climb stairs. This method, which is mainly concluded from analysis of a robot’s center of gravity, is subsequently formulated for a typical type of tracked vehicles, a Four Tracked Vehicle (FTV); however it can be adjusted for any other type. Furthermore, a parametric study has been done to evaluate the effects of some physical and geometrical parameters on the robot’s capability. The presented approach can be employed for many applications such as mechanical design. Lastly, to validate these formulations, some experimental tests, which have been conducted using a tracked robot, called Gamma, are shown. A good agreement has been obtained between the mathematical modeling and the experimental tests.