Design of wheel modules for non-holonomic, omnidirectional mobile robots in context of the emerging control problems

In the future, service robots will work in various applications in domestic, public and industrial environments, for example as household assistants or for inspection tasks in production plants. To fulfil complex tasks in natural surroundings these robots will need a high manoeuvrability and flexibility. In order to allow robot platforms to robustly navigate in narrow environments, highly integrated flexible drive modules are necessary together with a control concept that ensures a high manoeuvrability and allows intuitive steering. This paper discusses the design guidelines, advantages and drawbacks of the proposed wheel modules in context with the arising control problem. An overview on the different concepts is provided together with a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the proposed system.