Preliminary Design and Testing of Brush.Q, an Articulated Ground Mobile Robot with Compliant Brush-Like Wheels

Recent advances in mobile robotics have emphasized the need for systems capable of 2 operating in unstructured environments, combining obstacle negotiation, stability, and 3 adaptability. This study presents a preliminary design of an articulated ground robot, 4 Brush.Q, equipped with compliant brush-like wheels composed of multiple spokes. The 5 wheels occupy the majority of the robot’s track width, minimizing chassis exposure to 6 obstacles, and integrate passive compliance along with a flexible articulated structure to 7 enhance obstacle-climbing and suspension capabilities. To evaluate these capabilities, a 8 prototype was tested across various terrains and obstacle heights, assessing the effects 9 of wheel rotation direction, spoke number, and spoke tapering. Experimental results 10 demonstrate that reducing the number of spokes improves obstacle-climbing capability, 11 while a higher number of spokes and compliant geometry enhance suspension and stability. 12 Tapered spokes can increase obstacle negotiation but reduce suspension performance. 13 These findings highlight the critical role of wheel geometry in wheel-legged robots and 14 suggest the potential for reconfigurable spoked wheels that enhance a robot’s adaptability 15 and versatility in unstructured environments.