Skip to main content

Robotic Arm Development for a Quadruped Robot

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Synergetic Cooperation between Robots and Humans (CLAWAR 2023)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 811))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 523 Accesses

Abstract

Quadruped robots have gained significant attention in the robotics world due to their capability to traverse unstructured terrains, making them advantageous in search and rescue and surveillance operations. However, their utility is substantially restricted in situations where object manipulation is necessary. A potential solution is to integrate a robotic arm, although this can be challenging since the arm’s addition may unbalance the whole system, affecting the quadruped locomotion. To address this issue, the robotic arm must be adapted to the quadruped robot, which is not viable with commercially available products. This paper details the design and development of a robotic arm that has been specifically built to integrate with a quadruped robot to use in a variety of agricultural and industrial applications. The design of the arm, including its physical model and kinematic configuration, is presented. To assess the effectiveness of the prototype, a simulation was conducted with a motion-planning algorithm based on the arm’s inverse kinematics. The simulation results confirm the system’s stability and the functionality of the robotic arm’s movement.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    PCAN-USB adapter.

  2. 2.

    Complete arm design respository.

  3. 3.

    https://m.unitree.com/products/a1/.

  4. 4.

    ROS Control.

References

  1. Bellicoso, C.D., et al.: Alma—articulated locomotion and manipulation for a torque-controllable robot. In: Proceedings—IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation 2019-May, pp. 8477–8483 (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Biswal, P., Mohanty, P.K.: Development of quadruped walking robots: a review. Ain Shams Eng. J. 12, 2017–2031 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Zürich, E.: Anymal using an elevator. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM1z60aeunU (2017). Accessed on 28 Dec 2022

  4. Ferreira, J.: Mapping, localization and trajectory planning for quadruped robots in highly uneven terrains. Master thesis, FEUP. https://hdl.handle.net/10216/142110 (2022)

  5. Guo, J., et al.: Research on the autonomous system of the quadruped robot with a manipulator to realize leader-following, object recognition, navigation and operation. IET Cyber Syst. Robot. 1 (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Hamed, K.A., Kim, J., Pandala, A.: Quadrupedal locomotion via event-based predictive control and QP-based virtual constraints. IEEE Robot. Autom. Lett. 5(3), 4463–4470 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Igus: Rebel revolute joint RL-SE-105. https://www.igus.pt/product/20711?artNr=RL-SE-105-70-0000 (2023). Accessed on 4 Mar 2023

  8. Igus: Rebel revolute joint RL-SE-80. https://www.igus.pt/product/20710?artNr=RL-SE-80-50-0000 (2023). Accessed on 4 Mar 2023

  9. Li, J., et al.: Whole-body control for a torque-controlled legged mobile manipulator. Actuators 11, 304 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. lnotspotl: a1 robot simulation—python versions. https://github.com/lnotspotl/a1_sim_py (2020). Accessed on 22 Dec 2022

  11. Lopes, M.S., Moreira, A.P., Silva, M., Santos, F.: A Review on Quadruped Manipulators (2023). unpublished

    Google Scholar 

  12. Siciliano, B., Khatib, O.: Springer Handbook of Robotics. Springer (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Sleiman, J.P., Farshidian, F., Minniti, M.V., Hutter, M.: A unified MPC framework for whole-body dynamic locomotion and manipulation. IEEE Robot. Autom. Lett. 6, 4688–4695 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Ulloa, C.C., Domínguez, D., Cerro, J.D., Barrientos, A.: A mixed-reality tele-operation method for high-level control of a legged-manipulator robot. Sensors 22, 8146 (2022)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Unitree Robotics: Aliengo. https://shop.unitree.com/products/aliengo (2020). Accessed on 28 Dec 2022

  16. Unitree Robotics: ROS simulation packages for unitree robots. https://github.com/unitreerobotics/unitree_ros (2020). Accessed on 22 Dec 2022

  17. Unitree Robotics: Unitree robotics aliengo + z1 for fire rescue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CVwGY65In8 (2022). Accessed on 28 Dec 2022

  18. Xin, G., Smith, J., Rytz, D., Wolfslag, W., Lin, H.C., Mistry, M.: Bounded haptic teleoperation of a quadruped robot’s foot posture for sensing and manipulation. In: Proceedings—IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, pp. 1431–1437 (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Xin, G., Zeng, F., Qin, K.: Loco-manipulation control for arm-mounted quadruped robots: Dynamic and kinematic strategies. Machines 10, 719 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Zimmermann, S., Poranne, R., Coros, S.: Go fetch!—dynamic grasps using boston dynamics spot with external robotic arm. In: Proceedings—IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation 2021-May, pp. 1170–1176 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria S. Lopes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Lopes, M.S., Moreira, A.P., Silva, M.F., Santos, F. (2024). Robotic Arm Development for a Quadruped Robot. In: Youssef, E.S.E., Tokhi, M.O., Silva, M.F., Rincon, L.M. (eds) Synergetic Cooperation between Robots and Humans. CLAWAR 2023. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 811. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47272-5_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics