A new highly maneuverable search
and rescue robot that can creep, crawl and climb over rough terrain and through
tight spaces has been developed by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU)
researchers. The new Rising Sprawl-Tuned Autonomous Robot (RSTAR) utilizes
adjustable sprawling wheel legs attached to a body that can move independently
and reposition itself to run on flat surfaces, climb over large obstacles and
up closely-spaced walls, and crawl through a tunnel, pipe or narrow gaps.
The robot uses its round wheels
to travel more than three feet per second on hard flat surfaces and switches to
spoke wheels to traverse extremely soft or granular surfaces, like thick mud or
sand, without getting stuck. It also climbs vertically and crawls horizontally
by pressing its wheels to walls without touching the floor. The team is working
on a larger STAR robot version that will climb over larger obstacles. A smaller
STAR or RSTAR will piggyback on the larger robot to use in hard-to-reach areas
and sneak in between narrow cracks and passages.
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