The Robotics Institute

Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute

Copyright notice: This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. These works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.

Abstract

Planetary rovers are increasingly challenged to negotiate extreme terrain. Early destinations have been benign to preclude risk, but canyons, funnels, and newly discovered holes present steep slopes that defy tractive descent. Steep craters and holes with unconsolidated material pose a particularly treacherous danger to modern rovers. This research explores robotic braking by plowing, a novel method for decreasing slip and improving mobility while driving on steep unconsolidated slopes. This technique exploits subsurface strength that is under, not on, weak soil. Starting with experimental work on Icebreaker, a tracked rover, and concluding with detailed plow testing in a wheel test-bed the plow is developed for use. This work explores using plows of different diameters and at different depths as well as the associated braking force. By plowing the Icebreaker rover can successfully move on a slope with a high degree of accuracy thereby enabling science targets on slopes and crater walls to now be considered accessible.

Keywords

planetary, rover, plowing, traction, mobility, slopes, steep, terramechanics, extreme, craters, control, icebreaker

Notes

Associated Center(s) / Consortia: Space Robotics Initiative and Field Robotics Center

Associated Project(s): Lunar Ice Discovery Initiative

Text Reference

David Kohanbash, Scott Jared Moreland, and David Wettergreen, "Plowing for Rover Control on Extreme Slopes," Field and Service Robotics, July, 2012.

BibTeX Reference

@inproceedings{Kohanbash_2012_7082,
   author = "David Kohanbash and Scott Jared Moreland and David Wettergreen",
   title = "Plowing for Rover Control on Extreme Slopes",
   booktitle = "Field and Service Robotics",
   month = "July",
   year = "2012",
}

The Robotics Institute

Menu