Tumro: A Tunable Multimodal Wheeled Jumping Robot Based on the Bionic Mechanism of Jumping Beetles

Abstract

The implementation of multimodal motion ensures the stable operation in complex terrain environments, thus providing an effective guarantee for system performance. The crawling‐jumping robot has the ability to navigate in various road conditions utilizing different modes of movement. However, the mobility of the current multimodal jumping robots remains somewhat constrained by their jumping capability and the recovery time after each jump. Drawing inspiration from the energy‐storage jumping mechanism of jumping beetles, a tuneable multimodal jumping robot (Tumro) capable of executing multimodal movements including wheeled locomotion and ground‐based jumping, which can achieve a jump height of up to 3 m and swiftly recover its wheeled crawling state without requiring posture correction post‐jump, is presented. Through a specific structural design, the robot can storage energy and switch motions to jump in the desired direction based on the preset angle according to actual demand. The jumping process is thoroughly analyzed, and the kinematics and dynamics models are derived in meticulous detail. In addition, the performance of the robot is comprehensively assessed from aspects of wheel action versus vertical jump capability, power consumption, and endurance across various motion modes. The simulation scene experiment demonstrates the robot's exceptional jumping capability and efficient wheeled mobility.