Virtual prototyping technology-based dynamics analysis for an amphibious spherical robot

The amphibious robot, which has favourable adaptability to the practical environment and good stability to move, is applied to a large number of areas such as rescue realm, mine countermeasures, pipeline inspections and underwater archaeology. In this paper, we present a novel amphibious spherical robot system, and the dynamic simulation is made by virtual prototyping technology. The design structure and research significance of amphibious robot in this thesis are put forward. According to the features of the motion of the amphibious robot, the Lagrange dynamic model is established, which offers theoretical foundation for the following simulation analysis based on virtual prototype technology. In order to improve design efficiency and reliability, the mechanical arm for the joint rotation angle, angular velocity and angular acceleration and moment kinetic parameters can be obtained in the ADAMS (Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems) model of dynamic simulation analysis. Finally, according to previous dynamics equation derived, we can calculate the joint torque through the equation. Compared with the measurement data by using ADAMS, the correctness of Lagrange dynamics equation can be verified. The results verify the rationality and exactness of design plan and structure design as well as provide valuable data information for further research on improving control quality of the amphibious robot.