Multi-Functional Active Caster Module for Distributed Actuation Devices

This paper describes the development of the multi-functional active caster module for mobile platforms. Former mobile platforms are designed for the specific request to achieve higher controllability and endurance. However, to introduce these mobile platforms into human life environment is difficult, because almost all objects are different in mass and shape in the human environment. The proposed active casters based on the concept of "ubiquitous robot" are designed to be attached to various objects same style as ordinal passive casters. In the "ubiquitous robot" system, physically distributed robotic functions like sensors, processing, and actuators are connected together using network. In this paper we show that this active caster has redundancy and flexibility for human life environment