Improved effective design of the eccentric paddle mechanism for amphibious robots

To perform search and rescue missions in multi-terrains after natural disasters, the amphibious robot we designed is equipped with four eccentric paddle modules. The module is based on the epicyclic gear mechanism, and by changing the paddle shaft's location we can achieve various gaits adapting amphibious environment. Regarding experimental results with the first generation prototype, named ePaddle-EGM, we proposed an improved one to achieve lightness, accuracy and stability. It is a scaled-down version whose transmission system has been simplified. The dustproof sealing is considered to ensure the stability and the position sensing system is optimized. The comparative analysis of ePaddle-EGM2 and ePaddle-EGM is presented in this paper and experiments of various gaits are conducted to verify the performance of the improved design.