arXiv subjects

Ayato Kanada

Publications and source records attributed to Ayato Kanada.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A Reconfigurable Tracked Robot for Enhanced Obstacle Traversal Through Movable Articulation Point and Internal Mass Relocation

Tracked robots are widely used in unstructured environments; however, their obstacle traversal capability is fundamentally limited by a tradeoff between front-end reachability and locomotion stability. This study presents TRASER (Tracked Robot with Articulated Spine for Extended Reach), a reconfigurable tracked robot capable of relocating both its articulation point and internal mass. TRASER employs a tape-spring mechanism that localizes compliance to the bending region while maintaining high stiffness in the remaining body, thereby improving both front-end reachability and center-of-mass (CoM) shifting capability. Geometric and static models are developed to analyze the effects of articulation point and CoM position on step and ditch traversal performances. Experiments demonstrate step traversal, suspended-platform traversal, and ditch traversal of 74\%, 66\%, and 59\% of the robot body length, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these results represent the highest reported obstacle traversal capabilities among tracked mobile robots.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2026

Distal-Stable Beam for Continuum Robots

Continuum robots are well suited for constrained environments but suffer from low distal stiffness, resulting in large posture errors under external loads. In this paper, we propose a novel structural primitive, the Distal-Stable Beam, which achieves a strong stiffness gradient through purely geometric design, maintaining compliance in the intermediate section while ensuring high distal rigidity. The structure consists of two parallel rods and one convergent rod constrained by guide disks, introducing geometric coupling that suppresses deformation modes and preserves distal posture. Experiments show that the distal stiffness is 12 times higher than at the center, corresponding to an approximately 100-fold improvement over a conventional cantilever beam. The proposed mechanism enables simultaneous compliance and distal stability without active stiffness modulation, providing a new design approach for continuum robots requiring both safety and precision.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2025

Joint-repositionable Inner-wireless Planar Snake Robot

Bio-inspired multi-joint snake robots offer the advantages of terrain adaptability due to their limbless structure and high flexibility. However, a series of dozens of motor units in typical multiple-joint snake robots results in a heavy body structure and hundreds of watts of high power consumption. This paper presents a joint-repositionable, inner-wireless snake robot that enables multi-joint-like locomotion using a low-powered underactuated mechanism. The snake robot, consisting of a series of flexible passive links, can dynamically change its joint coupling configuration by repositioning motor-driven joint units along rack gears inside the robot. Additionally, a soft robot skin wirelessly powers the internal joint units, avoiding the risk of wire tangling and disconnection caused by the movable joint units. The combination of the joint-repositionable mechanism and the wireless-charging-enabled soft skin achieves a high degree of bending, along with a lightweight structure of 1.3 kg and energy-efficient wireless power transmission of 7.6 watts.

cs.RO↗