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When we want to build something where the wheels can not go, the typical solution is to use tracks. But the greater mobility comes with compromises: an example of tracked vehicles can not go as fast as a wheeled counterpart. The information published by DARPA's GXV-T experimental vehicle technology program has shown what could happen: "Why can not we just get to the slopes when we need them?"
by the Carnegie Mellon National Robotics Engineering Center. They delivered the "Reconfigurable Wheel-Track" (RWT) that can roll like a wheel or travel on its rails. An HMMWV serves as a suitable demonstration chassis, where two or all of its four wheels have been replaced by RWTs. In the video (below), we quickly see the transformation from one mode to another in motion. An obviously desirable feature that seems difficult to implement. It may not be as spectacular as a transformation that a walking robot can roll into a wheel, but it has the advantage of being more immediately achievable for vehicles on a human scale.
The RWT is not the only mobility project in the DARPA announcement but this specific idea is an idea that we would like to see reduced to become a 3D printable robot module. And while the challenge of the Hackaday robotics module has already been reached, there are even more challenges ahead. The other aspect of GXV-T is the increase in the crew, giving operators a better idea of what is going on around them. The projects out there could inspire something that you can submit to our next man-machine interface challenge, check them out!
[via The Drive]
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