ePaddle mechanism: Towards the development of a versatile amphibious locomotion mechanism

To achieve versatile locomotion in complex amphibious environments, a robot should be capable of performing different gaits. In this paper we present such a versatile amphibious robot based on a novel eccentric paddle mechanism (ePaddle). We first illustrate the concept of the ePaddle with five major possible gaits and conceptual gait sequences. We then summarize five types of configurations from these gaits. Based on these configurations, two motion behaviors are found and modeled by using kinematic equations for the future gait planning tasks. To verify the proposed ideas, we develop an ePaddle prototype module. Several simulations on these gaits are performed to verify the conceptual locomotion gait and the developed kinematic models. Experiments on five possible configurations demonstrate the valid of the ePaddle concept and the prototype design.