TerminatorBot: a robot with dual-use arms for manipulation and locomotion

A novel, miniature robot designed to use its two arms for both manipulation and locomotion is described. Intended for military and civilian surveillance and search-and-rescue applications, the robot must be small, rugged, and lightweight, hence the desire for dual-use. The robot consists of two, three-degree-of-freedom arms that can stow completely inside the 75 mm diameter cylindrical body for ballistic deployment. This paper describes the mechanism and design motivation as well as two novel locomotion gaits and a third conventional gait.