{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/32651"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/32651","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Kinematic Analysis Of A Two Body Articulated Robotic Vehicle","abstract":"The kinematic analysis of an articulated twin body, four-wheel, robotic vehicle is presented. Polaris, a research platform and contending robotic vehicle in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) at Virginia Tech, was redesigned in 2006 to improve the mobility of the vehicle by incorporating an innovative four-bar linkage that connects the two bodies. The new linkage design minimizes vehicle off-tracking by allowing the rear wheels to closely track the path of the front wheels. This thesis will outline the theoretical kinematic model of the four-bar linkage as applied to a twin-bodied, differentially driven vehicle. The kinematic model is validated through computer simulation as well as experimentation on a fully operational robotic vehicle. The kinematic model presented here outlines the foundations for an autonomous, four-wheel drive, multi-body control system and opens avenues for dynamically controlling the tracking of the vehicle's rear body with an actuated linkage configuration.","abstract_html":"The kinematic analysis of an articulated twin body, four-wheel, robotic vehicle is presented. Polaris, a research platform and contending robotic vehicle in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) at Virginia Tech, was redesigned in 2006 to improve the mobility of the vehicle by incorporating an innovative four-bar linkage that connects the two bodies. The new linkage design minimizes vehicle off-tracking by allowing the rear wheels to closely track the path of the front wheels. This thesis will outline the theoretical kinematic model of the four-bar linkage as applied to a twin-bodied, differentially driven vehicle. The kinematic model is validated through computer simulation as well as experimentation on a fully operational robotic vehicle. The kinematic model presented here outlines the foundations for an autonomous, four-wheel drive, multi-body control system and opens avenues for dynamically controlling the tracking of the vehicle&#x27;s rear body with an actuated linkage configuration.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Farmer, Jesse Lee"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Mechanical Engineering","degree_department":"Mechanical Engineering","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Wicks, Alfred L.","Reinholtz, Charles F."],"committee_members":["Hong, Dennis W."],"year":2008,"date_issued":"2008-04-29","date_published":"2008-04-29","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:51Z","subjects":["Kinematic Model","Kinematic Simulation","Four-Bar Linkage","Vehicle Offtracking"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-05122008-132412"],"render_values":[{"text":"etd-05122008-132412","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32651","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Wicks, Alfred L.","Reinholtz, Charles F."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Hong, Dennis W."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Farmer, Jesse Lee"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-03-14T20:36:29Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-03-14T20:36:29Z","2008-06-03"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2008-04-29"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Kinematic Model","Kinematic Simulation","Four-Bar Linkage","Vehicle Offtracking"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-05122008-132412"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32651"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The kinematic analysis of an articulated twin body, four-wheel, robotic vehicle is presented. Polaris, a research platform and contending robotic vehicle in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) at Virginia Tech, was redesigned in 2006 to improve the mobility of the vehicle by incorporating an innovative four-bar linkage that connects the two bodies. The new linkage design minimizes vehicle off-tracking by allowing the rear wheels to closely track the path of the front wheels. This thesis will outline the theoretical kinematic model of the four-bar linkage as applied to a twin-bodied, differentially driven vehicle. The kinematic model is validated through computer simulation as well as experimentation on a fully operational robotic vehicle. The kinematic model presented here outlines the foundations for an autonomous, four-wheel drive, multi-body control system and opens avenues for dynamically controlling the tracking of the vehicle's rear body with an actuated linkage configuration."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Kinematic Analysis Of A Two Body Articulated Robotic Vehicle"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Wicks, Alfred L.","Reinholtz, Charles F."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Hong, Dennis W."],"dc:contributor.department":["Mechanical Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Farmer, Jesse Lee"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-03-14T20:36:29Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-03-14T20:36:29Z","2008-06-03"],"dc:date.issued":["2008-04-29"],"dc:description.abstract":["The kinematic analysis of an articulated twin body, four-wheel, robotic vehicle is presented. Polaris, a research platform and contending robotic vehicle in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) at Virginia Tech, was redesigned in 2006 to improve the mobility of the vehicle by incorporating an innovative four-bar linkage that connects the two bodies. The new linkage design minimizes vehicle off-tracking by allowing the rear wheels to closely track the path of the front wheels. This thesis will outline the theoretical kinematic model of the four-bar linkage as applied to a twin-bodied, differentially driven vehicle. The kinematic model is validated through computer simulation as well as experimentation on a fully operational robotic vehicle. 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