Design and Ground Performance Evaluation of a Multi-Joint Wheel-Track Composite Mobile Robot for Enhanced Terrain Adaptability

The tracked-wheeled mobile robot has gained significant attention in military, agricultural, construction, and other fields due to its exceptional mobility and off-road capabilities. Therefore, it is an ideal choice for reconnaissance and exploration tasks. In this study, we proposed a multi-jointed tracked-wheeled compound mobile robot that can overcome various terrains and obstacles. Based on the characteristics of multi-jointed robots, we designed two locomotion modes for the robot to climb stairs and established the kinematics/dynamics equations for its land movement. We evaluated the robot’s stability during slope climbing, its static stability during stair climbing, and its ability to cross trenches. Based on our evaluation results, we determined the key conditions for the robot to overcome obstacles, the maximum height it can climb stairs, and the maximum width it can cross trenches. Additionally, we developed a simulation model to verify the robot’s performance in different terrains and the reliability of its stair-climbing gait. The simulation results demonstrate that our multi-jointed tracked-wheeled compound mobile robot exhibits excellent reliability and adaptability in complex terrain, indicating broad application prospects in various fields and space missions.