Impact Mitigation and Recovery Strategy for a Transformable Wheel Humanoid Capable of Protecting Transported Objects Against Falls

Abstract

This study aims to develop a transformable wheeled humanoid robot capable of protecting carried objects during falls and performing safe recovery. We propose a design with shoulder-mounted wheels covered by shock-absorbing material, which both mitigates impact and prevents objects from contacting the ground. Falls are detected using posture angles and angular velocities, and the robot transforms into a wheeled mode to move to flat terrain before standing up. By adding yaw joints to the legs, the robot eliminates the need for conventional reversing motions, and by activating the shoulder wheels, it gains sufficient driving force to recover even from forward falls while carrying objects with both hands.

Publication
26th SICE System Integration Division Annual Conference (SI2025)