Novel design and motion analysis of an omni-tread snake-like robot for narrow space inspection

Snake-like robots have a slender body and strong environmental adaptability. This paper aims to propose an omni-tread snake-like robot that can adapt to the needs of specific narrow space exploration missions and provide a basis for design work through necessary motion analysis. The robot adopts the form of three modules in series, and the modules are connected through differential driving joints, which increases the joint torque of the robot. The nested omni-tread structure improves the robot's motion efficiency and environmental adaptability. This paper conducts configuration and motion analysis of the robot. The simulation is performed using the optimization solution method to obtain the joint torque and walking torque of the robot, which guides the design of the robot. The experiment is also conducted with the developed prototype to verify the robot's performance. From the simulation results, the joint torque and walking torque are obtained, and the motors are selected. The motion performance and field applicability of the robot are verified through experiment tests. The experiment results further verify the robot design and analysis work. The structural design of robots and optimization solution method in this paper has certain reference values for other researchers.