Design and lootion control for a telerobot of Sojourner type.docVIP

Design and locomotion control for a telerobot of Sojourner type D. Turchi, S.Trolliet, L. Bourgeois, and J.-M. Vulliamy Laboratory for Robotics and Automation Vaud College of Engineering (EINEV), Technical University of Western Switzerland (HES-SO) CH-1400-Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland Abstract... 200 w. max* The goal of our project was to realize a working prototype, as similar to NASA’s Sojourner telerobot as possible in the time available, i.e. within the year 1996. This had the specific interest of proving the correctness of our solutions for mechanical design and locomotion control. In the former case, we had to cope with the constraint of passing over obstacles as large in diameter as telerobot wheels, with an articulated chassis. In the second case, the challenge was to ensure coordinated, smooth motion with 10 motors, along complex trajectories, including 0-radius of curvature segments. Our objective has been successfully reached. Among what we discovered is the fact that wheels cannot be used in soft ground, such as deep sand; but on the contrary, a little sand on hard ground helps solve unavoidable errors in wheel coordination: rather than stalling motors at peak torque or twisting chassis elements beyond elastic limit, these errors passively disappear, as a little sand helps wheels to slip into optimal, equilibrium positions. Fig. 1 Model of Sojourner robot (NASA) 1. Introduction In space research, planets with life enabling conditions similar to ours are of growing interest. And planet Mars is the first of them. Since water has been discovered on it, as well as primitive forms of organic life, many believe that life exists on the Red Planet. Explorers wish now to gather data about soil and atmosphere on Mars surface. For this purpose, the use of a vehicle capable of travelling a few miles a day appears to provide the best solution. After several projects aiming at sending such a vehicle up to Planet Mars (e.g. the Marsokhod project) it is now “Soj