Robotic Navigation in Complex Terrains
Disciplines
Mechanical Engineering
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Rovers have been the preferred method to explore Mars’s adverse environment since 1997 with Sojourner, as they return data on the environment & eliminate the limitations of sending a human. Although rovers have plenty of pros, such as being more durable and efficient, there are 2 main problems they face on Mars, power loss and wheel capturing. These problems arise due to Mars’ rocky valleys, sand traps, and sandstorms. For instance, Sojourner was abandoned because of its power loss due to its solar panels getting covered with magnetic airborne dust from sandstorms. Spirit launcher, launched in 2003, had been experiencing problems on its right wheel since 2006 but got caught in an unexpected sand trap in 2010, causing it to lose contact and terminating its mission. Curiosity, launched in 2012 and still running, has been our longest functional rover but has visible wear and tear on its wheels due to them being made from aluminum. Our team set out to build a multi-terrain rover with deformable wheels using soft robotics. Our wheel is composed of a hard, rigid inner skeleton that contains compartmentalized actuators that expand the soft outer shell of the wheel. When the wheel expands it increases the surface area of the wheel, allowing it to get more traction and escape the sand trap. Our final design combines the PVC suspension system, Arduino mega motherboard, and deformable wheels together to form a prototype of a Mars exploration rover.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
SPCEET - Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Turaj Ashuri
Robotic Navigation in Complex Terrains
Rovers have been the preferred method to explore Mars’s adverse environment since 1997 with Sojourner, as they return data on the environment & eliminate the limitations of sending a human. Although rovers have plenty of pros, such as being more durable and efficient, there are 2 main problems they face on Mars, power loss and wheel capturing. These problems arise due to Mars’ rocky valleys, sand traps, and sandstorms. For instance, Sojourner was abandoned because of its power loss due to its solar panels getting covered with magnetic airborne dust from sandstorms. Spirit launcher, launched in 2003, had been experiencing problems on its right wheel since 2006 but got caught in an unexpected sand trap in 2010, causing it to lose contact and terminating its mission. Curiosity, launched in 2012 and still running, has been our longest functional rover but has visible wear and tear on its wheels due to them being made from aluminum. Our team set out to build a multi-terrain rover with deformable wheels using soft robotics. Our wheel is composed of a hard, rigid inner skeleton that contains compartmentalized actuators that expand the soft outer shell of the wheel. When the wheel expands it increases the surface area of the wheel, allowing it to get more traction and escape the sand trap. Our final design combines the PVC suspension system, Arduino mega motherboard, and deformable wheels together to form a prototype of a Mars exploration rover.