Swingarm suspensions

4WD eXplorer

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4WD eXplorer
Four wheel driving and steering vehicle with suspension system

4WD eXplorer is a electric wheeled ackermann steering mobile robotic platform with batteries which can be used for a large variety of applications and to speed up your robotics research! As with our other platforms, it is possible to easily add your own sensors or you can ask us to integrate them for you depending on your requirements. Usually, 4WD eXplorer is equipped with 360° Laser Sensor, RGB-D camera, motor encoders, current sensors and RTK GPS able to provide a very high accuracy. Thanks to its 10 inches off-road wheels, it can be used both for indoor and outdoor applications and its high payload allows the users to add additional devices and laptops. Moreover, it provides several power output in order to connect multiple devices. The large ground clearance lets the vehicle to overcome obstacles like rocks and debris.

4WD eXplorer surfs on all terrains!

The vehicle can be used to explore different types of terrains since it is equipped with two side swing arms able to pivot around a central axis to perform a rocker type suspension system. Both arms have a wide swing out so the vehicle can easily overcome large rocks and debris.

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The large 10 inches tube type tyres are both for off road and indoor use by providing excellent performances in all applications. Their air pressure can be adjusted depending on the soil profile in order to reach an extra grip during terrain traversal routines.

IT IS ROS READY!

4WD eXplorer comes with a well-documented ROS node which allows the user to remotely control the robot and to easily integrate sensors, devices and actuators. It also includes C/C++ library for cross-platform development and for third-party integration. The user can move the robot by using the standard geometry_msgs ROS messages.

4-WHEEL STEERING

The vehicle is based on the classic ackermann steering system with four drive wheels able to rotate around their vertical axis. Each wheel assembly includes a brushless motor with a 1024-pulses optical encoder and a DC gearmotor to perform the vertical axis rotations.

SUSPENSIONED SYSTEM

The vehicle integrates a rocket suspension system based on two swing arms able to rotate around a horizontal axis while anchored to a set of dampers; this design is essential to keep the main frame as stable as possible even on rough terrains by enhancing the efficiency of the sensors (i.e. cameras, lasers and IMUs) installed on the vehicle.

DRIVE OVER THE NIGHT

4WD eXplorer is not afraid of the night! Thanks to a powerful 20W headlight with 1580lm mounted on its front and rear bumpers, you can face the night without problems! You can use this vehicle for surveillance or for inspections in no light conditions and in rought environments since boht lights are IP67 and come with LED technology.

RC PulseIn, Analog and Digital I/O, RS232, Encoders

4WD eXplorer comes with a very powerful controller able to provide multiple interfaces for several applications and needs. In particular, it includes a radio board with a remote control link up to 150 meters with a frequency of 433 Mhz or 2.4Ghz, different analog and digital I/Os, serial interfaces and a large set of sensors for odometry and environmental data like the RTK GPS and the 360° laser scanner.

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Vehicle Dimensions
[mm]

Mechanical Specifications	Value
Overall Dimensions	693x877x550 mm
Weight	150 Kg
Torque	40 Nm
Max Payload	90 Kg
Max Speed	5 m/s
Driving System	4-wheel steering + Ackermann
Locomotion System	4x 10" tube type tyres

Control and HW Specifications	Value
Sensors	GPS, IMU, Encoders
Battery pack	AGM 24VDC@100Ah
Drive Module	4x 24V Brushless Motors
Motor controller	4x PWM Motor Controller
I/Os	Digital/Analog, CAN
Run Time	6+ hours for normal use
Software	ROS Node, C/C++ lbs

Sensors and Add-ons

Laser Sensor

The standard sensor is the RPLidar 360° which provides a very accurate dataset both for indoor and outdoor applications; this kind of sensor is useful for obstacles detection.

Inertial Sensor

A 9Dof inertial sensor like the XSens Mti-300 is very useful when you have to develop an autonomous application and you need to retrieve the vehicle position in the 3D space.

Lights

A pair of LED lights are always needed when you need to make hte vehicle move and operate over the night or in very dark environments. They are IP67 with a low power consumption.

RTK GPS

The RTK GPS is a very important sensor to have when you are developing an autonomous application for outdoor environments. The U-blox solutions provides a very high accuracy.

Frame

It is possible to mount sensors and devices by using an aluminum frame made by Bosch profiles. It is ready to be used and you can add or remove bars very easily.

Don’t be shy!

Do you need more information about 4WD eXplorer robot?

Do you have a project and you want to develop it?
Do you need a specific mobile robotics base with tracks or wheels?
Are you looking for a particular electronics board to control motors or solenoids, for wireless communication or to develop a sensors network?

Let’s us know about your project and we will try to help you!