Abstract
When planning lunar rover missions, it is important to develop intuition and driving skills for unfamiliar environments before incurring the costs of reaching the moon. Simulators make it possible to operate in environments that have the physical characteristics of target locations without the expense of extensive physical tests. This paper proposes a motion simulation and human–computer interaction system based on a parallel mechanism to realize high-fidelity manned lunar rover simulations. The system consists of an interactive operating platform and a lunar surface simulation environment based on Unity3D. To make the 6-DOF platform simulate the posture changes of the rover, we improved the motion simulation algorithm. We designed a posture adjustment system and built virtual sensors to help astronauts perceive the lunar environment. Finally, this paper discusses the method for the realization of the multi-channel human–computer interaction system; astronauts can interactively control the rover through five channels. Experiments show that this system can realize high-fidelity rover simulation and improve the efficiency of human-computer interaction.
Highlights
Rovers are indispensable in deep space exploration and can be used to perform scientific tasks over long distances
Simulators make it possible to operate in environments that have the physical characteristics of target locations without the expense and overhead of extensive physical tests
This paper proposes a lunar exploration motion simulation and human–computer interaction system with low cost, strong immersion, rich interactive functions, and convenient training
Summary
Rovers are indispensable in deep space exploration and can be used to perform scientific tasks over long distances. China’s Jade Rabbit rover has successfully completed its work on the moon. Compared with unmanned rovers, the operation of a manned rover is quite different. The only manned lunar rovers used so far have been on the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions of the early 1970s [1]. When planning lunar rover missions, it is important to develop intuition and driving skills for alien environments before incurring the cost of reaching the moon. Simulators make it possible to operate in environments that have the physical characteristics of target locations without the expense and overhead of extensive physical tests
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