Development of a leveling and loosening mechanism for fine sediments on a test track for planetary robots

Abstract

Planetary robots must be extensively tested before they can be sent on a mission. Especially on loose soil, there is a need for tests with repeatable surface and soil properties to simulate the planetary use and to obtain reliable results for each test run. To achieve this, a leveling and loosening mechanism for a robotic test track is presented. By leveling and loosening in one motion, it enables easy and fast test preparation. Bio-inspired bear claws were designed and tested as loosening tools, which allow loosening with minimal resistance and a loosening effect of about 45%. The modular design allows the attachments to be easily interchanged to adapt the mechanism to different requirements or add additional functions like measurements of the soil properties. The paper provides details on the design and evaluation of the leveling and loosening mechanism.