We have proposed and developed a new quadruped walking robot with a spherical shell, called “QRoSS”. QRoSS is a transformable robot that can store its legs in the spherical shell. The shell not only absorbs external forces from all directions, but also improves mobile performance because of its round shape. In rescue operations at a disaster site, carrying robots into a site is dangerous for operators because doing so may result in a second accident. If QRoSS is used, instead of being carried in, robots are thrown in, making the operation safe and easy. We developed the QRoSS series and conducted basic experiments to verify performance, which includes landing, rising and walking through a series of movements. This paper reports details of a mechanical design to improve walking performance and development of the QRoSS V prototype model. We discuss the rising operation and performance of climbing over a high vertical step.

中文翻译：

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球形壳四足步行机器人的开发：一步爬升的改进

我们已经提出并开发了一种新的具有球壳的四足步行机器人，称为“ QRoSS”。QRoSS是一种可变形的机器人，可以将其腿存储在球形外壳中。外壳不仅可以吸收来自各个方向的外力，而且由于其圆形形状，还可以改善移动性能。在灾难现场的救援行动中，将机器人搬入现场对于操作员而言是危险的，因为这样做可能会导致第二次事故。如果使用QRoSS，而不是随身携带，则会扔进机器人，从而使操作安全，容易。我们开发了QRoSS系列，并进行了基本实验以验证性能，包括着陆，上升和行走一系列运动。本文报告了改善步行性能的机械设计细节，以及QRoSS V原型模型的开发。