Active Wheel

Active wheel robots represent a burgeoning field exploring hybrid aerial-ground vehicles capable of seamless transitions between flight and terrestrial locomotion. Current research focuses on developing robust control algorithms, often leveraging model predictive control and differential flatness, to manage the complex dynamics of these systems, particularly for precise manipulation and stable movement across diverse terrains. These robots, incorporating designs with one or two active wheels and various propeller configurations, aim to improve efficiency and maneuverability in challenging environments, offering potential advancements in search and rescue, inspection, and other applications requiring both aerial and ground capabilities. The development of unified dynamic models and efficient trajectory planners is a key area of ongoing investigation.