Design of a Four-Wheel Steering Mobile Robot Platform and Adaptive Steering Control for Manual Operation

The recent advancementsin autonomous driving technology have led to an increased utilization of mobile robots across various industries. Notably, four-wheel steering robots have gained significant attention due to their robustness and agile maneuvering capabilities. This paper presents a novel four-wheel steering robot platform for research purposes and an adaptive four-wheel steering control algorithm for efficient manual operation. The proposed robot platform is specifically designed as a simple and compact research-oriented platform for developing navigation and manual operation of four-wheel steering robots. The compact design of the robot platform allows for additional space utilization, while the horizontal independent steering system provides precise control and enhanced maneuverability. The adaptive four-wheel steering control algorithm aims to offer efficient and intuitive manual operation of the four-wheel steering robot, aligning with the intentions of the human operator. It enables the platform to utilize front-wheel steering under normal circumstances and efficiently reduce the turning radius by employing rear wheel steering when additional steering input is required. Experimental results demonstrated the accurate steering performance of the robot platform and effectiveness of the adaptive steering algorithm. The developed four-wheel steering robot platform and the adaptive steering control algorithm serve as valuable tools for further research and development in the fields of autonomous driving and steering algorithms.