Porcospino, spined single-track mobile robot for inspection of narrow spaces

Abstract

This paper discusses the design and the experimental tests on Porcospino, a bio-inspired single-track mobile robot for inspection of unstructured environments characterized by narrow spaces. It is an evolution of SnakeTrack, a single-track robot with steering capabilities; differently from SnakeTrack, the track modules of Porcospino are characterized by elastic spines, which improve traction on uneven and irregular terrains. The main body is a vertebral column, comprising a series of vertebrae connected by compliant joints and two end modules. Each end module carries two sprockets, sharing a common actuator, to drive the single peripherical track. Moreover, each end module hosts an actuator for track steering. The remaining mobilities of the vertebral column allow it to cope passively with the terrain profile, to enhance traction. The control unit, batteries, drivers, and environmental sensors are placed along the vertebral column. Both the end modules are equipped with a camera for intermittent vision, which is possible thanks to openings realized on the track modules. The experimental campaign on the first Porcospino prototype is discussed, highlighting the differences with its earlier version.

Editorial to the special issue on “Modeling and control of innovative robots”

“…The control of a quadrotor UAV is addressed in "Barrier Lyapunov function and adaptive backstepping-based control of a quadrotor UAV" [6] using barrier Lyapunov functions to account for the constraint satisfaction. A bioinspired single-track mobile robot is reported in the paper "Porcospino, Spined Single-Track Mobile Robot for Inspection of Narrow Spaces" [7]. A mobile robot for agriculture application is described in "Decoupled motion planning of a mobile manipulator for precision agriculture" [8].…”

WheTLHLoc 4W: Small‐scale inspection ground mobile robot with two tracks, two rotating legs, and four wheels

“…Sometimes tracks are mounted on articulated frames or suspension systems to enhance their adaptability to ground unevenness (Kim et al, 2018; Ugenti et al, 2023). When navigating in narrow spaces is a primary requirement, snake‐like tracked robots composed of tracked units connected in series (Lee et al, 2016) or single‐track steering robots (Haji et al, 2010; Nodehi et al, 2023) are adequate solutions.…”

Porcospino Flex: A Bio-Inspired Single-Track Robot with a 3D-Printed, Flexible, Compliant Vertebral Column

“…A third example of a single-track robot is the Porcospino, characterized by track modules with elastic spines to enhance its obstacle-crossing ability [22].…”

“…These enhancements contribute to a greener design, resulting in a more sustainable and efficiently functioning robot. Thus, the vertebral column of the Porcospino [22] is reinforced and developed with a lattice structure to decrease the overall weight of the robot, subsequently enhancing its energy efficiency. The Porcospino Flex is fabricated and developed using FDM 3D printing technology.…”