The National Robotics Engineering Center has conceived a novel system that is able to reconfigure from a track to a wheel while in motion. The purpose of this device is to combine the benefits of wheels and tracks to provide performance optimization on a variety of terrain. The first stage of development resulted in two benchtop prototypes: one to test a transition from rotating hub to rotating tread and another to test a constantly-oriented shape transition from circle to triangle. This paper documents the testing of these devices including current draw, temperature change, and braking characteristics. Through experimentation with the first testbed, desired speed was shown to be consistent within +/−6% when transitioning between wheel and track modes at an approximated ground speed between 5 and 35 km/h while transitioning in 5 to 60 seconds. Testing on the second system identified asymmetry in testbed construction and showed consistent loading patterns throughout a 42 mm-change in sprocket position between wheel and track mode while transitioning between 10 and 50 mm/s. The evaluation of these testbeds informed the design of the next process of the reconfigurable wheel-track project, which resulted in a larger prototype capable of propelling a small ground vehicle.

国家机器人技术中心构想出了一种新颖的系统，该系统能够在运动时从轨道重新配置为车轮。该设备的目的是结合车轮和履带的优点，以在各种地形上提供性能优化。开发的第一阶段产生了两个台式原型：一个用于测试从旋转轮毂到旋转胎面的过渡，另一个用于测试从圆形到三角形的持续定向的形状过渡。本文记录了这些设备的测试，包括电流消耗，温度变化和制动特性。通过对第一个测试台的试验，当在5和35 km / h之间的近似地面速度下在5至60秒内转换时，在车轮和轨道模式之间转换时，所需速度在+/- 6％范围内保持一致。在第二个系统上进行的测试确定了试验台结构中的不对称性，并且在链轮位置在车轮模式和履带模式之间变化42毫米时（在10毫米/秒与50毫米/秒之间过渡时）显示出一致的载荷模式。对这些试验台的评估为可重构轮轨项目的下一流程设计提供了依据，从而产生了能够推动小型地面车辆的更大原型。