QUADRUPED ROBOTIC VEHICLE

A RESCUE VEHICLE WHICH COULD NOT APPROACH THE AREA OF AN ACCIDENT OR OF BATTLE DAMAGE DUE TO DEBRIS BLOCKING ITS PATH WOULD BE USELESS WHEN IT WAS NEEDED MOST. THIS PROPOSAL OUTLINES A NOVEL APPROACH TO IMPLEMENTING A LEGGED ROBOTIC VEHICLE WHICH WOULD BE USABLE IN SITUATIONS WHERE TRACKED OR WHEELED VEHICLES COULD NOT OPERATE. FOR THE SPECIFIC APPLICATION OF A RESCUE/REPAIR VEHICLE, OUR SYSTEM WOULD BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE THROUGH OBSTACLES AND MOVE TO A POINT OF APPLICATION SO AS TO POSITION ONE OR MORE ROBOT ARMS AT EXACTLY THE POINT WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED FOR A REPAIR OR RESCUE TASK. OUR VEHICLE WOULD BE EXTREMELY AGILE, HAVING NO PERFERRED DIRECTION OF MOTION. IT COULD MOVEIN ANY DIRECTION WITHOUT RE-ORIENTING ITS BODY, OR ROTATE ITS BODY WITHOUT CHANGING ITS DIRECTION OF MOTION. IT SHOULD EASILY HE ABLE TOMOVE AT 15 MILES PER HOUR, CARRY 5000 POUNDS, AND ITS LEGS COULD PROVIDE ACTIVE STABILIZATION FOR ITS PAYLOAD, DECOUPLING THE MOTION OF THE PAYLOAD FROM EVEN ROUGH TERRAIN.