RI | Publications | Experimental Characterization of a Robotic Inflatable Wheel

Text only version of this site

Experimental Characterization of a Robotic Inflatable Wheel
D. Apostolopoulos, M.D. Wagner, C. Leger, and J. Jones
8th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation in Space, September, 2005.

Jump to: Download | Abstract | Notes | Text Reference | BibTeX Reference

Download [Help]

Adobe portable document format (pdf) [941 KB]

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

Inflatable wheels are a promising concept for long-range exploration of Mars as well as extremely rugged terrestrial terrains. This paper describes experimental studies that characterize the mobility of a single robotic inflatable wheel in terms of its ability to negotiate Mars-like cohesion-less soils, climb large discrete obstacles and endure the wear and tear caused by driving over kilometers of abrasive rocks. These studies were performed with a testbed apparatus that allowed variation of tire design, wheel loading, speed / acceleration profiles, tire pressure and traverse length. An in-line brushless motor controlled by a PID velocity control loop drives the wheel. This paper summarizes the most significant experimental results and discusses the impact of those results on aspects of robotic vehicles with inflatable wheels, such as state estimation and motion control.

Notes

Associated center: FRC
Associated project: Inflatable Rover Technologies

Number of pages: 7

Text Reference

D. Apostolopoulos, M.D. Wagner, C. Leger, and J. Jones, "Experimental Characterization of a Robotic Inflatable Wheel," 8th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation in Space, September, 2005.

BibTeX Reference

@inproceedings{Apostolopoulos_2005_5158,
   author = "Dimitrios Apostolopoulos and Michael D Wagner and Chris Leger and Jack Jones",
   title = "Experimental Characterization of a Robotic Inflatable Wheel",
   booktitle = "8th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation in Space",
   month = "September",
   year = "2005"
}