Modular ReBeL robot arm for quadruped robots

Quadruped robots have aroused great interest in the scientific community in recent years due to their versatility in navigating through different terrains. They are particularly used in the areas of surveillance, inspection and search and rescue operations. These tasks do not require great manipulation skills. However, when precise interaction with objects is required, quadruped robots are not the best option. For this reason, a modular robotic arm called ReBeL from igus has been used, which is specifically designed to be attached to quadruped robots to extend their ability to interact with objects and increase the application possibilities in agricultural and industrial solutions.

The ReBeL robot arm is characterised by its modular structure, which makes it possible to use different tools depending on the task and to easily replace components if necessary. The arm weighs around 3 kg without tools and uses three Igus joints and aluminium parts for connection. The structure can carry a load of 2.5 kg. Compared to commercially available models that are not specifically designed for this purpose, the ReBeL robotic arm is more efficient and cost-effective. It costs no more than €2,500 and offers a higher load capacity at a lower weight, which improves the stability and balance of the quadruped robot. In addition, the entire control software was developed using the ROS framework, which enables real-time interaction with the system and testing of algorithms in the previously developed simulator. Overall, the ReBeL robotic arm is an efficient and cost-effective solution for precise interactions in various applications.