Nowadays, mobile robot technology is developing rapidly and is widely used in various industrial fields. Even Boston Dynamics has updated its famous Atlas robot. But whether it’s a leg or a wheel, robots that successfully navigate on flat and structured ground are still quite unsuccessful when it comes to uneven terrain. Conventional wheels, which perform perfectly on flat ground, can struggle on unstructured terrain and in environments full of obstacles. This is where the PaTS-Wheel, developed by British researchers, stands out.
The Next Generation Wheel PaTS-Wheel
PaTS-Wheel is a design that stands for Passively Transformable One-Piece Wheel. This wheel has an innovative structure that allows it to change shape spontaneously when it encounters obstacles. The work was designed by researchers at the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College London. PaTS-Wheel was developed to optimize energy consumption and driving smoothness while significantly increasing the ability of mobile robots to overcome obstacles.
The most striking feature of the PaTS-Wheel is its ability to passively change shape when encountering obstacles. At the heart of the design is the ability of the wheel to adapt to the geometry of the obstacle and spontaneously take the shape of a hook. This allows mobile robots to move effectively even in challenging conditions such as uneven terrain and stepped obstacles.
The researchers note that the PaTS-Wheel has been subjected to various tests to prove its effectiveness. Particularly noteworthy is its ability to overcome stepped obstacles ≈70% of the wheel’s diameter with a 100% success rate. This success rate is significantly higher compared to conventional casters or legged wheels. The PaTS-Wheel also features a press-in-place compatible design. This allows moving parts to be created with a single print. This makes the production process more efficient.
