Development of origami inspired variable diameter wheel robot
Design and development of STeVe( Smart Terrain Vehicle) viz. a wheeled mobile robot capable of maneuvering over various terrains with increased mobility by dynamically adjusting wheel diameter
The origami inspired variable diameter wheel increases the mobility of a mobile wheeled robot allowing it to dynamically change wheel diameter for obstacle clearance, tunneling through narrow gaps and also improve balancing.
Origami wheel inspired by the magic ball pattern (top), fabricated mechanism parts (middle), schematic representation of wheel activation mechanism (bottom)
Failed obstacle clearance with inactive wheel (left), successful obstacle clearance with active wheel (right)