Research on a Hexapod Hybrid Robot with Wheel-Legged Locomotion and Bio-Inspired Jumping for Lunar Extreme-Terrain Exploration

Exploring the lunar complex and extreme terrain presents formidable challenges for conventional lunar rovers. To address these limitations, this study proposes a novel hexapod jumping hybrid robot that incorporates a “figure-of-eight” (butterfly-shaped) six-branched wheel-legged mechanism and a jumping system that stores elastic energy via deformation of its elastic body. Inspired by the multimodal locomotion of grasshoppers, the robot dynamically switches between two operational modes: high-efficiency wheeled locomotion on relatively flat surfaces and agile jumping to traverse steep slopes and surmount large obstacles. A bio-inspired gait, inspired by the crawling patterns of a hexapod insect, is implemented using a Central Pattern Generator (CPG)-based controller to produce coordinated, rhythmic limb movements. Dynamic simulations of the jumping mechanism were conducted to optimize the critical parameters of the elastic structure and its associated control strategy. Experiments on a physical prototype were conducted to validate the robot’s wheeled mobility and jumping performance. The results demonstrate that the robot exhibits excellent adaptability to rugged terrains and obstacle-dense environments. The integration of multimodal locomotion and adaptive gait control significantly enhances the robot’s operational robustness and survivability in the harsh lunar environment, opening new possibilities for future lunar exploration missions.