Some aspects of the modular walking robot MERO's new architecture

Abstract The new modular walking robots MERO by reconfiguring their architecture are built to displace the heavy loads on the unaligned terrain. The main characteristic of the modular walking robots is that they are able to move away on unarranged, horizontal and rough terrain The modular walking system protects much better the environment when its contact with the soil is discrete, a fact that limits appreciately the area that is crushed. The new modular walking robots may have a lower or higher autonomy degree. This autonomy has in view the power source's supply capability but also orientation and perception capabilities as regards the terrain configuration the robot is running upon and its decision making and the motion manner towards a target. Architecture of the reference structure of the walking robot has three two-legged modules. Every leg has three degrees of freedom (RRP), a slip sensor and tactile sensor to measure the contact which consists of lower and upper levels. The body of the MERO (MEchanism RObot) walking robot carries a gyroscopic bearing sensor to measure the pitch and roll angles of the platform. The legs are powered by hydraulic drives and are equipped with transducers and sensors. They are used to control the walking robot in the adaptability to a natural ground. In this paper presents some aspects of the new modular walking robot