Design and Analysis of a Novel Reconfigurable Integrated Leg-Arm Robot

The 4-limbed integrated leg-arm robot, which combines the manipulation capabilities of dual-arm manipulators and the stable mobility of 4-limbed climbing robots, has gained attention in various application fields. However, existing robots typically rely on increasing actuators or independent-driven reconfigurable mechanisms to meet diverse workspace requirements, resulting in increased payload and energy consumption. To tackle this challenge, this paper proposes a novel reconfigurable robot with an underactuated chassis mechanism. The chassis mechanism is established through configuration synthesis and analysis, while its underactuated behavior is revealed through degree of freedom (DOF) analysis and kinematic modeling. Finally, the feasibility of underactuation is verified by simulation.