An alignment assembly is coupled between a steering assembly and a support foot to maintain an alignment of the support foot with the load transport assembly while the steering mechanism rotates in different steering directions. A biasing device activates in response to non-linear displacements of the load transport assembly relative to the support foot and moves the steering assembly and the support foot back into original alignments with the load transport assembly. The alignment assembly may include a lower main gear assembly that rotates the support foot relative to the steering assembly and an upper main gear assembly that rotates the steering assembly relative to the load transport assembly.

A moveable platform apparatus comprising a platform adapted to receive and support a moveable drilling rig or drilling equipment. The platform comprises a first set of legs connected to the platform, wherein the first set of legs support the platform in a first vertical position above ground, wherein each leg of the first set of legs is extendable with respect to the platform to vertically move the platform. The platform further comprises a second set of legs connected to the platform, wherein the second set of legs support the platform in a second vertical position above ground, wherein each leg of the second set of legs is extendable with respect to the platform to vertically move the platform. A method for a moving a platform apparatus along the ground.

A ground robot, comprising of a body including a drivetrain and a tail, and a plurality of hub and compliant leg assembly, capable of traveling at high speed over different terrain, with several apparatus and means to mechanically or to electrically recycle energy, and zero turn capabilities for agile maneuvers.

A mobile platform intended for civilian, industrial, research or other use. An ambulation system or mobile platform such as for traveling over uneven terrain includes one or more leg arrangements attached to a main body or chassis. In an embodiment, a leg arrangement comprises one or more legs, such as legs that rotate in the same and singular direction around their respective rotary joints when the vehicle is moving in a single direction. The rotational axis for both legs is located near each other and preferably coaxially and allows ground contact of two or more legs at all times.

A robot includes a main body, a handlebar disposed on the main body and grippable by a user, a detection unit that detects a load applied to the handlebar, a moving device including a rotating body and moving the robot by controlling the rotation of the rotating body, and a switching unit that switches a support mode for supporting the user with walking. The support mode includes a first mode in which the robot autonomously moves to guide the user who is walking and a second mode in which the robot moves in accordance with a first load detected by the detection unit. When the robot moves in the first mode, the switching unit switches the support mode from the first mode to the second mode on the basis of the second load detected by the detection unit.

A two wheeled throwable robot comprises an elongate chassis with two ends, a motor at each end, drive wheels connected to the motors, and a tail extending from the elongate chassis. The chassis split length wise and comprised of a pair of elongate portions, a rear portion and a forward portion. Adjoining respective surfaces with interfacing portions are sealed with a gasket or sealing material therebetween and provide a robust juncture. The rear portion having a deep recess and sub recess for containing and securing the pair of motors with brackets, and batteries with brackets. The forward part having a shallow recess with a pcb secured therein having control circuitry. The shallow component has a high degree of structural strength with a central region projecting forwardly and further having flattened forward facing end portions on each lateral side of the central region. The robot, even with the small size for throwability, also provides modularity allowing, for example, different motors and different radios to be changed out or allowing customized designs in a common chassis.

Robotic vehicles and methods described herein relate to robot navigation, physical configuration, and obstacle avoidance. An example robotic vehicle includes a chassis and a sensor coupled to the chassis. Furthermore, the robotic vehicle includes a plurality of multi-wheels coupled to the chassis. As such, each multi-wheel is configured to rotate about a primary axis of rotation. Each multi-wheel includes a plurality of rotatable wheel elements and each rotatable wheel element is configured to rotate about a respective secondary axis of rotation. The robotic vehicle includes an actuator configured to extend or retract at least one rotatable wheel element such that a position of at least one rotatable wheel element is adjustable relative to the primary axis of rotation. Yet further, the robotic vehicle includes a motor configured to drive the rotatable wheel elements about their respective secondary axes of rotation and drive the respective multi-wheels about their primary axes.

According to an embodiment, a robot includes a supporter disposed in the lower portion of a body to be spaced apart from a rear joint and a front joint and having a length shorter than a length of the rear joint and a length of the front joint; and a processor configured to perform a rear joint raising mode when a moved distance of the body is within a set distance or the body is stationary during driving of a front drive motor, and the rear joint raising mode is a mode in which a rear joint motor raises the rear joint such that a rear wheel which is connected to the rear joint is spaced apart from the ground.

An embodiment is developed for a cylindrically shaped, elliptical rolling robot that has the ability to morph its outer surface as it rolls. The morphing actuation alters lengths of the major and minor axes, resulting in a torque imbalance that rolls the robot along faster or brakes its motion. A control scheme is implemented, whereby angular position and horizontal velocity are used as feedback to trigger and define morphing actuation. A goal of the control scheme is to cause the robot to follow a given velocity profile comprised of steps and ramps. Equations of motion for the rolling robot are formulated, which include rolling resistance torque caused by deformation of the outer surface tread. A computer program solves the equations of motion, and resulting plots show that by automatically morphing its shape in a periodic fashion, the rolling robot is able to commence from an initial position, achieve constant average velocity and slow itself.

A mobile platform intended for civilian, industrial, research or other use. An ambulation system or mobile platform such as for traveling over uneven terrain includes one or more leg arrangements attached to a main body or chassis. In an embodiment, a leg arrangement comprises one or more legs, such as legs that rotate in the same and singular direction around their respective rotary joints when the vehicle is moving in a single direction. The rotational axis for both legs is located near each other and preferably coaxially and allows ground contact of two or more legs at all times.