Effects of friction on driving mechanism using swing motion

Abstract

The effects of friction on the driving mechanism using swing motion are investigated. The system comprises a body and a rod which have two and one freely rotating wheels, respectively. The rod is pinned to the body and can swing like a pendulum about the pinned joint by a servo motor. The system moves forward with or without slipping on the floor depending on the relationship of friction coefficient, swing amplitude and swing period. Effects of the parameters on the moving performance are clarified experimentally and analytically. The results demonstrate that the system is accelerated by the frictional force acting on the rod in the wheel axis direction. In addition, experimental results show that the bias angle of the rod makes turning motion of the system.