Articulated structure of mobile robot presents high flexibility on the environment adaptation. It has been widely used on the mobile robot to get through rough terrain. This class of robots named as articulated mobile robots can move in hard condition with high stability and environment adaptability. In order to satisfy the requirement of Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), a series of articulated mobile robots are analyzed. The performance of articulated mobile robots is analyzed for get an appropriate robot for USAR. Two snake-like robots named Perambulator I and II are analyzed. Based on the structure of Perambulator II, the articulated mobile robot Ameba II are presented based on track drive mechanism. Ameba II has high performance on mobility and adaptability in complex environment. The comparisons among of some typical articulated robots are given based on mobility and environment adaptation. The experimental results of both Perambulator II and Ameba II show that the Ameba II mobile robot is a better than the snake-like robot Perambulator II on the urban search and rescue applications.
A Novel Modular Mobile Robot Prototype for Urban Search and Rescue