Reconfiguring Surface Terrain Robot

The goal for this effort is to deliver a prototype of a rugged and portable (man-packable) shape shifting robotic platform. Our platform has the ability to not only change shape to gain access and function efficiently within confined spaces in urbanenvironments, but has the means of changing locomotion to be able to traverse more difficult terrain. This platform has polymorphic locomotion/ maneuvering system, which includes a novel drive, articulation joints, and winching capability. It has theability to act as a wheeled robot to traverse terrain quickly, a crawling mode to enter buildings through narrow openings, the ability to articulate and is capable of pulling/ climbing using the manipulator arm. This self righting robot has the ability totraverse a wide range of environmental conditions such as: level ground, compound slopes, steps, ladders, downspouts, building debris, sand, rocks, and ice surfaces. The platform will have the ability to divide and act independently to gain access or covermore territory during a mission. This robotic platform is based on a single unit and is easily expandable depending on mission parameters. DARPA would benefit from the existence of this lightweight, fully configurable robot with payload options,tele-operation and partial-autonomous navigation.