Environment-adaptive track mechanism with continuously transformable grousers
- 1School of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University
- 2Feasix AI Co.,Ltd.
Abstract
This study presents EATbot, an environment-adaptive tracked robot featuring an arc-grouser mechanism that continuously modulates grouser protrusion and the resulting ground-contact profile rather than altering the overall track posture. Conventional fixed-profile tracks must compromise grouser geometry because low-profile treads improve flat-ground smoothness, whereas highly protruded grousers improve rough-terrain and stair-edge engagement. To address this fixed-grouser-profile trade-off, the proposed mechanism continuously modulates the protrusion of arc-shaped grousers over the range from a retracted low-profile configuration to a maximum-protrusion high-engagement configuration within a single track module. A kinematic model and virtual-work-based torque formulation were developed to characterize grouser protrusion behavior and load-dependent actuation requirements. The arc-grouser geometry was designed to maximize usable protrusion within chain discretization, internal interference, packaging, and actuator constraints, while a non-collinear structural offset was incorporated to prevent simultaneous dead-center locking during continuous transformation. Stair-climbing tests verified the predicted climbable domain and demonstrated successful ascent up to a maximum equivalent inclination of 48.85∘ . Driving stability experiments showed that the retracted configuration decreased RMS vibration by 5.1% on flat terrain, whereas the maximum-protrusion configuration reduced vibration by 87.9% on rough terrain. Payload transformation tests up to 40 kg further demonstrated practical high-load operation. These results indicate that continuous grouser-profile transformation can mitigate the fixed-profile trade-off between flat-ground smoothness and stair/rough-terrain engagement while preserving the continuous-contact characteristics of tracked locomotion.
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BibTeX
@article{kim2026environmentadaptive,
title = {{Environment-adaptive track mechanism with continuously transformable grousers}},
author = {Hanbom Kim and Yongho Kwon and Hojoon Seo and Jeongmo Yang and Seungjun Kim and Jong-Won Kim and TaeWon Seo},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-61685-2},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-61685-2},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Environment-adaptive track mechanism with continuously transformable grousers
AU - Hanbom Kim
AU - Yongho Kwon
AU - Hojoon Seo
AU - Jeongmo Yang
AU - Seungjun Kim
AU - Jong-Won Kim
AU - TaeWon Seo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-61685-2
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-61685-2
AB - This study presents EATbot, an environment-adaptive tracked robot featuring an arc-grouser mechanism that continuously modulates grouser protrusion and the resulting ground-contact profile rather than altering the overall track posture. Conventional fixed-profile tracks must compromise grouser geometry because low-profile treads improve flat-ground smoothness, whereas highly protruded grousers improve rough-terrain and stair-edge engagement. To address this fixed-grouser-profile trade-off, the proposed mechanism continuously modulates the protrusion of arc-shaped grousers over the range from a retracted low-profile configuration to a maximum-protrusion high-engagement configuration within a single track module. A kinematic model and virtual-work-based torque formulation were developed to characterize grouser protrusion behavior and load-dependent actuation requirements. The arc-grouser geometry was designed to maximize usable protrusion within chain discretization, internal interference, packaging, and actuator constraints, while a non-collinear structural offset was incorporated to prevent simultaneous dead-center locking during continuous transformation. Stair-climbing tests verified the predicted climbable domain and demonstrated successful ascent up to a maximum equivalent inclination of 48.85^∘ . Driving stability experiments showed that the retracted configuration decreased RMS vibration by 5.1% on flat terrain, whereas the maximum-protrusion configuration reduced vibration by 87.9% on rough terrain. Payload transformation tests up to 40 kg further demonstrated practical high-load operation. These results indicate that continuous grouser-profile transformation can mitigate the fixed-profile trade-off between flat-ground smoothness and stair/rough-terrain engagement while preserving the continuous-contact characteristics of tracked locomotion.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -