Potentials and Limitations of Hexapods in Wheeled Mobile Driving Simulators

This paper deals with the benefits and drawbacks of hexapods in Wheeled Mobile Driving Simulators. Therefore, a large and a small hexapod are considered and investigated in regard to their potential to reduce power, energy, and workspace demand of a Wheeled Mobile Driving Simulator. This is done by employing the hexapod for representing horizontal acceleration cues. Furthermore, the hexapod may contribute to overcoming characteristic problems of wheeled mobile robots like singularities in wheel orientation while still providing the correct acceleration cues to the user. A potential field algorithm with compensation of acceleration through the hexapod has been investigated. Still, the inertial forces of the hexapod have to be supported by the wheeled mobile platform. When inertial forces of the hexapod are supported by the wheels, the acceleration potential of the whole driving simulator is reduced. It is shown that translational forces have the largest influence on the wheel load – up to 19 %, whereas translational and rotational displacements as well as torques have no significant influence.