TY - JOUR
T1 - Design and Analysis of FCSTAR, a Hybrid Flying and Climbing Sprawl Tuned Robot
AU - David, Nitzan Ben
AU - Zarrouk, David
N1 - Funding Information:
Manuscript received February 24, 2021; accepted April 19, 2021. Date of publication May 5, 2021; date of current version July 7, 2021. This letter was recommended for publication by Associate Editor K. Yamane and Editor C. Gosselin upon evaluation of the reviewers’ comments. This work was supported in part by the Pearlstone Center for Aeronautical Studies, in part by the Helmsley Charitable Trust through the Agricultural, Biological and Cognitive Robotics Initiative, and in part by the Marcus Endowment Fund both at Ben-Gurion University. (Corresponding author: David Zarrouk.) The authors are with the department of Mechanical Engineering at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel (e-mail: benda2468@gmail.com; zadavid@bgu.ac.il).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 IEEE.
PY - 2021/10/1
Y1 - 2021/10/1
N2 - This letter presents a hybrid flying and climbing robot which we named FCSTAR. This new robot, an upgraded version of FSTAR, is designed for climbing over slopes and is fitted with a sprawling mechanism and propellers that allow it to both run and fly using the same motors. By using thrust reversal and its 4-wheel drive, the robot can drive over steep slopes including walls and reach high places where it cannot fly, such as pipes, sewage channels, ventilation ducts, etc. The combined capabilities of flying, running and climbing allows the FCSTAR to fly over, crawl underneath or climb over obstacles. We first describe the design of the robot and the configuration of the propulsion and flying systems, including the design considerations for its improved climbing capabilities. We then present a model of climbing and analytically compare the different modes of operation to define the optimal design configuration. Finally, we present multiple experiments that we performed using our newly developed design of the FCSTAR robot. The results show that this experimental robot can drive on inclined surfaces and even climb on vertical walls. It can reach ground speeds of up to 3.2 m/s, and fly like a regular quadcopter (see attached video).
AB - This letter presents a hybrid flying and climbing robot which we named FCSTAR. This new robot, an upgraded version of FSTAR, is designed for climbing over slopes and is fitted with a sprawling mechanism and propellers that allow it to both run and fly using the same motors. By using thrust reversal and its 4-wheel drive, the robot can drive over steep slopes including walls and reach high places where it cannot fly, such as pipes, sewage channels, ventilation ducts, etc. The combined capabilities of flying, running and climbing allows the FCSTAR to fly over, crawl underneath or climb over obstacles. We first describe the design of the robot and the configuration of the propulsion and flying systems, including the design considerations for its improved climbing capabilities. We then present a model of climbing and analytically compare the different modes of operation to define the optimal design configuration. Finally, we present multiple experiments that we performed using our newly developed design of the FCSTAR robot. The results show that this experimental robot can drive on inclined surfaces and even climb on vertical walls. It can reach ground speeds of up to 3.2 m/s, and fly like a regular quadcopter (see attached video).
KW - Flying robot
KW - climbing robot
KW - driving robot
KW - mechanical design
KW - reconfigurable robot
KW - sprawl tuning
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105869800&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/LRA.2021.3077851
DO - 10.1109/LRA.2021.3077851
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85105869800
SN - 2377-3766
VL - 6
SP - 6188
EP - 6195
JO - IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
JF - IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
IS - 4
M1 - 9424378
ER -