Dynamic Quadrupedal Legged and Aerial Locomotion via Structure Repurposing

Abstract

Multi-modal ground-aerial robots have been extensively studied, with a significant challenge lying in the integration of conflicting requirements across different modes of operation. The Husky robot family, developed at Northeastern University, and specifically the Husky v.2 discussed in this study, addresses this challenge by incorporating posture manipulation and thrust vectoring into multi-modal locomotion through structure repurposing. This quadrupedal robot features leg structures that can be repurposed for dynamic legged locomotion and flight. In this paper, we present the hardware design of the robot and report primary results on dynamic quadrupedal legged locomotion and hovering.