Patent ID: 8851211

Claim:
A multi-unit mobile robot comprising: a plurality of separate mobile units linked together by linkages; each said mobile unit including at least one wheel, and each said mobile unit comprising hinged first and second segments, hinges for said segments being adapted to facilitate pitch relative motion between said segments; and control actuators operably connected to said hinges, operable to cause said robot to coil around and compress against exterior, or compress against interior, of an object to be traversed, wherein: said wheels on said mobile units are Mecanum wheels each driven independently by a motor, a controller being associated with each said motor, whereby through operation of said controllers, said multi-unit mobile robot can be moved in any direction; pitch axis of each said hinges is concentric with axis of rotation of said Mecanum wheels, there are a pair of said Mecanum wheels for each pair of said hinged segments, one on each side of the segments; and alternating ones of said mobile units are of differing widths, and said Mecanum wheels adjacent the mobile units are sufficiently large such that said Mecanum wheels are capable of overlapping, thereby enabling the multi-unit mobile robot to navigate very sharp edges or corners in a surface of and object being traversed by said robot, with said Mecanum wheels maintaining contact with the surface being traversed.