Modeling and Simulation Analysis of a Six Wheel Multimodal Mobile Robot

Abstract

In order to solve the problems of traditional wheeled robots with large turning radius, low obstacle crossing ability, poor flexibility and manoeuvrability, a multimodal mobile robot with a six wheel drive and six wheel steering structure is proposed in this paper. By varying the rotation angle of the robot's six wheels, the robot is able to achieve four basic movement modes: straight travel, translation, steering in situ, and turning around any point. At the same time, the dual rocker arm suspension structure ensures that the robot can always land on six wheels, improving its overall passability and terrain adaptability. Firstly, the robot structure is designed. Then, by establishing a motion model of the six wheel drive and steering robot, the angle and velocity relationships of the six wheels under four different motion modes are established, which will provide a kinematic basis for the design of motion controller. Next, the virtual prototype is modelled in Gazebo software, and simulation tests are conducted for the four basic motion modes as well as the obstacle crossing ability of the robot. The simulation results verify the high flexibility and strong obstacle crossing ability of the robot.