Development of hexapod tracked mobile robot and its hybrid locomotion with object-carrying

The authors developed a novel type of tracked mobile robot which has six legs, hexapod tracked mobile robot. The mechanism enables the robot to not only travel over rough terrain but also accomplish handling tasks by the use of its legs as manipulators. For a typical example, the robot can traverse a large gap while carrying an object in a transportation task. In this paper, the mechanism and design of developed hexapod tracked mobile robot are described. We also consider the motion of traversing a large gap with carrying an object as a hybrid working locomotion by tracks and legs. Several simulations and experiments with the developed robot demonstrated its ability to achieve hybrid locomotion and tasks.