Reinventing the wheel: a simulation-aided design of a soft, shape-adapting, lugged wheel for locomotion on sandy terrains.

ABSTRACT: Locomotion over granular terrain poses significant challenges for autonomous robotic systems, particularly in coastal regions characterized by loose, shifting sands. To optimize the locomotion on these challenging terrains, a simulation-aided design approach was used to develop a soft, shape-adapting, wheeled locomotion system. A co-simulation framework combining the discrete element method (DEM) and multibody dynamics (MBD) is employed to simulate the locomotion of a wheeled robot on varying sandy soils, covering both dry and wet sandy soil conditions. A shape-adapting wheel design is proposed, incorporating soft, inflatable elements that enable the wheel to transform between lugged and circular configurations. A discretized flexbody approach is adopted to model the interactions between t

SUBMITTER: Shi H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12547161 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature