A Hybrid Quadrotor With a Passively Reconfigurable Wheeled Leg Capable of Robust Terrestrial Maneuvers

Size Yu; Bingxuan Pu; Kaixu Dong; Songnan Bai; Pakpong Chirarattananon

doi:10.1109/LRA.2025.3544078

A Hybrid Quadrotor With a Passively Reconfigurable Wheeled Leg Capable of Robust Terrestrial Maneuvers

Size Yu
, Bingxuan Pu
, Kaixu Dong
, Songnan Bai
, Pakpong Chirarattananon^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We present a hybrid aerial-ground robot that combines the versatility of a quadcopter with enhanced terrestrial mobility. The vehicle features a passive, reconfigurable single wheeled leg, enabling seamless transitions between flight and two ground modes: a stable stance and a dynamic cruising configuration. The cruising mode exhibits exceptional turning performance, achieving a centrifugal acceleration of 0.55g, over 30% higher than previous records, due to an inherent yaw stabilization effect. This mechanism also reduces control effort and enhances roll stability, enabling reliable navigation on irregular surfaces. While this passive design achieves structural simplicity, it trades off power efficiency for enhanced maneuverability. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the system's dynamics and experimentally demonstrate agile movements across various scenarios. © 2025 IEEE.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3486-3493
Journal	IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
Volume	10
Issue number	4
Online published	20 Feb 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2025.3544078
Publication status	Published - Apr 2025

Funding

This work was supported in part by the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macau Science and Technology Project (Category C) under Grant SGDX20220530111401009 and in part by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China under Grant CityU 11218022.

Research Keywords

aerial systems: Applications
Aerial systems: mechanics and control
wheeled robots

RGC Funding Information

RGC-funded

Access Output

10.1109/LRA.2025.3544078

Other Access Options

Check CityUHK Library

Permanent Link

Right click to copy link

Cite this

@article{b491d7d0a216460e87a303e9ef3ad38d,

title = "A Hybrid Quadrotor With a Passively Reconfigurable Wheeled Leg Capable of Robust Terrestrial Maneuvers",

abstract = "We present a hybrid aerial-ground robot that combines the versatility of a quadcopter with enhanced terrestrial mobility. The vehicle features a passive, reconfigurable single wheeled leg, enabling seamless transitions between flight and two ground modes: a stable stance and a dynamic cruising configuration. The cruising mode exhibits exceptional turning performance, achieving a centrifugal acceleration of 0.55g, over 30\% higher than previous records, due to an inherent yaw stabilization effect. This mechanism also reduces control effort and enhances roll stability, enabling reliable navigation on irregular surfaces. While this passive design achieves structural simplicity, it trades off power efficiency for enhanced maneuverability. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the system's dynamics and experimentally demonstrate agile movements across various scenarios. {\textcopyright} 2025 IEEE.",

keywords = "aerial systems: Applications, Aerial systems: mechanics and control, wheeled robots",

author = "Size Yu and Bingxuan Pu and Kaixu Dong and Songnan Bai and Pakpong Chirarattananon",

year = "2025",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1109/LRA.2025.3544078",

language = "English",

volume = "10",

pages = "3486--3493",

journal = "IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters",

issn = "2377-3766",

publisher = "IEEE",

number = "4",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - A Hybrid Quadrotor With a Passively Reconfigurable Wheeled Leg Capable of Robust Terrestrial Maneuvers

AU - Yu, Size

AU - Pu, Bingxuan

AU - Dong, Kaixu

AU - Bai, Songnan

AU - Chirarattananon, Pakpong

PY - 2025/4

Y1 - 2025/4

N2 - We present a hybrid aerial-ground robot that combines the versatility of a quadcopter with enhanced terrestrial mobility. The vehicle features a passive, reconfigurable single wheeled leg, enabling seamless transitions between flight and two ground modes: a stable stance and a dynamic cruising configuration. The cruising mode exhibits exceptional turning performance, achieving a centrifugal acceleration of 0.55g, over 30% higher than previous records, due to an inherent yaw stabilization effect. This mechanism also reduces control effort and enhances roll stability, enabling reliable navigation on irregular surfaces. While this passive design achieves structural simplicity, it trades off power efficiency for enhanced maneuverability. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the system's dynamics and experimentally demonstrate agile movements across various scenarios. © 2025 IEEE.

AB - We present a hybrid aerial-ground robot that combines the versatility of a quadcopter with enhanced terrestrial mobility. The vehicle features a passive, reconfigurable single wheeled leg, enabling seamless transitions between flight and two ground modes: a stable stance and a dynamic cruising configuration. The cruising mode exhibits exceptional turning performance, achieving a centrifugal acceleration of 0.55g, over 30% higher than previous records, due to an inherent yaw stabilization effect. This mechanism also reduces control effort and enhances roll stability, enabling reliable navigation on irregular surfaces. While this passive design achieves structural simplicity, it trades off power efficiency for enhanced maneuverability. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the system's dynamics and experimentally demonstrate agile movements across various scenarios. © 2025 IEEE.

KW - aerial systems: Applications

KW - Aerial systems: mechanics and control

KW - wheeled robots

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/86000382998

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/pubmetrics.uri?eid=2-s2.0-86000382998&origin=recordpage

U2 - 10.1109/LRA.2025.3544078

DO - 10.1109/LRA.2025.3544078

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

SN - 2377-3766

VL - 10

SP - 3486

EP - 3493

JO - IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters

JF - IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters

IS - 4

ER -

A Hybrid Quadrotor With a Passively Reconfigurable Wheeled Leg Capable of Robust Terrestrial Maneuvers

Abstract

Funding

Research Keywords

RGC Funding Information

Access Output

Other Access Options

Permanent Link

Other Files and Links

Fingerprint

GRF: Tensegrigami: Origami-Inspired Functional Resilient Structures for Aerial Robots

Cite this

A Hybrid Quadrotor With a Passively Reconfigurable Wheeled Leg Capable of Robust Terrestrial Maneuvers

Abstract

Funding

Research Keywords

RGC Funding Information

Access Output

Other Access Options

Permanent Link

Other Files and Links

Fingerprint

Projects

GRF: Tensegrigami: Origami-Inspired Functional Resilient Structures for Aerial Robots

Cite this