Design Of Rover Research Articles

Design and multi-body dynamic analysis of the Archimede space exploration rover

In this work we present the novel planetary rover prototype “Archimede”. The rover is a four wheel steering vehicle where each wheel is connected to the chassis by means of an articulated leg. These also act as a suspension system, exploiting the function of complex elastic joints named S-Structures, a series of preloaded components constituting the elastic joints. These aggregates have shown to be capable of providing compliance to otherwise stiff structures. The Kane’s method is used to derive an analytical model for the dynamics of the rover, treated as a multi-body system. In the model we implement a lumped-parameters model for the S-Structure as a revolute joint with an applied non-linear torque. The soil is modeled as a rigid body and the wheel–soil interaction follows the Kelvin–Voigt model. The analytical model is validated numerically – via comparison with MSC Adams simulation software – in case of ground impact and obstacle negotiation; the experimental validation is performed on ground impact tests with a Motion Amplification high speed camera and dedicated image processing software. Results show good adherence between the models, thus validating the approach.

Phoenix: Towards Designing and Developing a Human Assistant Rover

Human-assistance rovers have a broad prospect in the field of space robotics, as a significant number of organizations and researchers have been investing in the design and development of sophisticated rovers for planetary exploration. In order to promote research and development in the design of next-generation MARS rovers, an annual University Rover Challenge (URC) is hosted by the MARS Society in the United States. In this study, we highlight the design and development process of several novel subsystems of a human-assistance planetary exploration rover and their successive integration in the prototype named PHOENIX, which is a rover that participated in the URC 2021. First, a detailed requirement elicitation has been conducted, for designing a conceptual framework for a rover capable of planetary exploration. Secondly, the design and development process has been detailed for five basic subsystems (power, communication, primary-manipulator, chassis with drive, processing) and two mission-specific subsystems (scientific exploration and autonomous navigation), as well as their successive integration into the rover. Afterwards, a detailed evaluation study has been conducted in order to validate the performance of the developed system. Terrain traversability, autonomy in navigation, and sophisticated task execution capabilities have been evaluated individually within this study. Additionally, the capability of the rover in detecting bio-signatures from soil samples using a novel Multiple Bio-molecular Rapid Life Detection (MBLDP-R) protocol has also been evaluated. The developed scientific exploration subsystem is capable of detecting the presence of life from soil samples with a 92% success rate, and from rock samples with a success rate of 93.33%.

Can Resilience Assessments Inform Early Design Human Factors Decision-making?

There is a growing call among researchers for tighter coupling between human factors and human reliability assessments. In this research, we explore how early design stage resilience simulation can help bridge the gap between human factors and human reliability assessments. Resilience is the ability of a system to proactively mitigate potentially hazardous events, involving the system's adaptive capacity to enable both active prevention and recovery. The fmdtools toolkit allows designers to assess the resilience of a system by modeling the human error and machine-related failure propagation across sets of fault scenarios and operational/environmental parameters during the early design stages. This toolkit has a number of constructs that enable the early-stage, low-fidelity dynamic human reliability assessment, including action sequence graphs and human performance degradation models. In this paper, we study how fmdtools simulations and analyses can help inform and prioritize human factors design decision-making, resulting in tighter coupling between human factors and human reliability assessments. Specifically, we explore the results from a rover design example to understand the types of information that can help guide human factors-related decision-making.

Analysis of terraforming on mars using nuclear power for the beginning of space colonization

As a historic challenge for humans, Martian colonization has been initiated by nuclear energy. A moving nuclear power plant could be imaginable known as a nuclear reactor rover. The design of the nuclear reactor rover has been performed where the important matter is how to make the caterpillar move the reactor and its facilities. Hence the slider length and contact point are proposed. The normalized heat transfer is analyzed by slide length and contact point where they are normalized as 1.0 and 10.0, respectively. Although the slider length of the caterpillar is proportional to heat transfer, the contact point shows the adverse values. Longer slider length and less contact point could be the optimized heat production system by the caterpillar which is the additional heat source except the other nuclear reactor. Any other planet could be considered as a potential human colony using the nuclear terraforming technology.

Autonomous Mars Rover Design using SOLIDWORKS and User Interface development via Internet of Things

Abstract: In this paper, an autonomous Mars Rover is designed using the software SOLIDWORKS and a mechanical model is developed with in-depth simulations to analyse the functions of the vehicle. Furthermore, a graphical user interface is also developed based on the principles of Internet of Things using Node-Red to control and monitor the rover remotely. The red planet, i.e.; Mars, has been the centre of attraction for over 2 decades now, with astrophysicists and engineers working in unison to build devices and launch shuttle programs to understand and learn about the planet and gather more intelligence. This paper proposes the detailed development of a 6-wheeled rover that could explore the terrains of Mars, featuring a stereo vision system that could provide live video coverage and a robotic arm that can facilitate investigation of the surface, in an attempt to contribute to and fulfil the human race’s mission to Mars. It employs multiple onboard sensors that can acquire necessary data pertaining to the environmental conditions and actuators that enable functionality, with the sensors and actuators integrated onto a control system based on microcontrollers and microprocessors such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi. The rover also has a provision of a payload bay in its rear which enables it to carry loads. The SOLIDWORKS tool from Dassault systèmes is used to design and model the rover and carry out static analysis and motion studies. The GUI developed in the further sections allows overall voice control for the user and makes the task of monitoring the rover a much simpler task by eliminating the complexity that rises due to multiple control platforms. Keywords: Mars Rover, Graphical User Interface (GUI), Chassis, Mastcam, Actuators, Internet of Things (IoT), Nitinol, Payload

Image Compression Software Design for Zhurong Mars Exploration Rover

Because of the limited number of information transmission channels and high bit error rate in Mars image transmission, a method of image compression software design and realization of Mars rover was proposed. The characteristics of rover image data management were analyzed, and the three capabilities that the rover image compression software needed to have were concluded: uniform file management capability, high-efficiency compression capability, and high fault tolerance capability. For uniform file management capability, a file system for uniform management of multiple types of image data was proposed. To meet the high efficiency and high fault tolerance requirements of the compression algorithm, based on run-length coding algorithm of first-1 bit, the three important processes of multi-load image unification processing, color image preprocessing, and segmented bit-plane image coding were expanded, to improve compression performance and fault tolerance. Then a complete set of image compression software design schemes was formed, using FPGA+DSP, and the complete set of software was realized. Finally a simulation verification system was used to verify the compression effect. Verification results show the effectiveness of the algorithm. This software has been verified by China’s Zhurong Mars rover and can effectively meet the needs of Mars exploration missions. The software design can be used as a reference for image compression in subsequent ultra-long-distance deep space explorations.

Interface Direct Shear Tests on JEZ-1 Mars Regolith Simulant

The mechanical behaviors of Martian regolith-structure interfaces are of great significance for the design of rover, development of excavation tools, and construction of infrastructure in Mars exploration. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the properties of a Martian regolith simulant (JEZ-1) through one-dimensional oedometer test, direct shear test, and interface direct shear tests between JEZ-1 and steel plates with different roughness. Oedometer result reveals that the compression and swelling indexes of the JEZ-1 are quite low, thus it is a less compressible and lower swelling soil. The cohesion and adhesion of JEZ-1 are lower than 5 kPa. The values of the internal friction angle range from 39.7° to 40.6°, and the interface friction angles are 16.7° to 36.2° for the smooth and rough interface. Furthermore, the direct shear and interface direct shear results indicate that the interface friction angles are lower than the internal friction angles of JEZ-1 and increase close to the internal friction angles with increasing interface roughness.

Study on using generative and topology design for feature enrichment in Mars Rovers

Space travel has always been a crucial task. Exploration and experimenting on Planets in our solar system will help us understand the universe better and also, we could find the origin of life. Rovers play an important role in finding these answers. The problem we have at present is not only with technology to explore the universe but also the ability of our rockets to carry rovers to other rocks. Since a large amount of fuel is required for Space travel, we end with very little cargo that can be sent to explore. As additive manufacturing started to play a vital part in Mechanical Science, we are going to try to use that tool to build a Generative design that helps in parts consolidation, weight reduction, increase flexibility, design optimisation and cost consolidation. Since weight is an important aspect, we could reduce the present rover weight and add additional scientific tools to the rover to increase its scope of search and applications. This project focuses on features enrichment in Rovers by optimizing rover weight and design using Design for Additive Manufacturing concept.

Design and development of automatic warehouse sorting rover

These days the importance of automation has been increasing drastically; time consumption is also one of the most important factors that affects the productivity. The other factors that should be considered are less human effort, reduced lead time, elimination of work force from unproductive jobs, clear and hassle-free system. In most of the electronic commerce companies like Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra etc., the sorting of different type of products happens based on the customer orders. It becomes a huge problem for selecting an item from a very big warehouse. There are already many such kind of sorting system that are present in most of the companies but the main drawback is that, the existing systems are not so efficient and appropriate in the sorting mechanism. Above being the case, the project deals with improving the sorting system in more appropriate and efficient approach. In current scenario, the sorting is done by a rover and is completely programmed. When the order is placed by the customer, the rover gets the signal, i.e., location of the object or the rack position, where the product is present in the warehouse. The rover moves to the required location and gets the entire rack to the labelling counter. In the labelling counter, the operator picks the required object and leaves the rest, then again, the robot places back the entire rack to the previous location, as a result, there will be a lot and lots of loss in time and power. Above being the case, the warehouse sorting is modified in such a way that the above-mentioned problems will be resolved. The objective is to redesign both the rover and the rack in order to sort the items with ease and efficient. The rover is completely automated, the user simply need to give the initial location and the final destination of the product to sort. Rover is programmed to reach the required location of the rack. The specified items are placed onto the rover and it will bring the specified object to the labeling counter. On the other hand, rack is designed depending upon the dimensions of the object and the purpose. A mechanism is developed for rack to place a required object onto the rover. This will simplify the process so that the operator need not have to search the product from the entire rack.

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for a Solar-Powered Exploration Rover Considering the Restricted Power Requirement

The energy requirements of a solar-powered exploration rover constrain the mission duration, traversability, and tractive capability under the given limited usable power. Thus, exploration rover design, more specifically, rover wheel design (related to considerable energy consumption in driving), plays a significant role in the success of exploration missions. This paper describes the modeling of an operational environment and a multi-body dynamics (MBD) simulation tool based on wheel-terrain interaction model to predict the dynamic behavior on a digital elevation model (DEM) map. With these simulation environments, a multidisciplinary optimal wheel design methodology, integrating the MBD simulation tool and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II), is developed. Design parameters are chosen through sensitivity analysis. These multi-objective optimizations in dynamic states are conducted to obtain the optimal wheel dimension that meet the limited power condition with maximal tractive capability under the given operational environment. Furthermore, numerical and experimental verification using a single wheel testbed on lunar simulant are conducted to convincingly validate the derived optimization results. Finally, these results reveal that the proposed design methodology is an effective approach to deciding the best design parameter among a large variety of candidate design points considering the restricted power requirement.

Features of Lunar Rover Design Considering Radiation Effects from Outer Space and Onboard Radioisotope Heat Sources

The dose effect on the onboard equipment of the lunar rover from ionizing radiation from outer space and from radioisotope sources intended for providing the thermal regime of the spacecraft in a lunar night are considered. Calculations are made to determine the requirements for radiation hardness of devices and their components, as well as the possibility of using the instrumentation reserve developed for the current Moon research projects in a prospective mission with a lunar rover.

Orbit insertion strategy of Hayabusa2\u2019s rover with large release uncertainty around the asteroid Ryugu

This paper describes the orbit design of the deployable payload Rover 2 of MINERVA-II, installed on the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. Because Rover 2 did not have surface exploration capabilities, the operation team decided to experiment with a new strategy for its deployment to the surface. The rover was ejected at a high altitude and made a semi-hard landing on the surface of the asteroid Ryugu after several orbits. Based on the orbital analysis around Ryugu, the expected collision speed was tolerable for the rover to function post-impact. Because the rover could not control its position, its motion was entirely governed by the initial conditions. Thus, the largest challenge was to insert the rover into a stable orbit (despite its large release uncertainty), and avoid its escape from Ryugu due to an environment strongly perturbed by solar radiation pressure and gravitational irregularities. This study investigates the solution space of the orbit around Ryugu and evaluates the orbit’s robustness by utilizing Monte Carlo simulations to determine the orbit insertion policy. Upon analyzing the flight data of the rover operation, we verified that the rover orbited Ryugu for more than one period and established the possibility of a novel method for estimating the gravity of an asteroid.

Wheels' performance of Mars exploration rovers: Experimental study from the perspective of terramechanics and structural mechanics

The soft ground and stones on the surface of Mars may cause sinkage of and damage to the wheels of a Mars rover. Therefore, we analyzed the performance of a wheel-step Mars rover from the perspective of terramechanics and structural mechanics. Using China’s Mars rover wheel prototype and wheel-soil interaction testbed, we obtained the driving performance of the wheels of a Mars rover under various conditions, including full skidding conditions. The vertical load set in the tests was determined using the gravity of Mars and the mass of the wheel-step Mars rover. The results indicate that the driving torque, sinkage, and resistance coefficient have a linear relationship with the wheel vertical load. An analysis of the structural mechanical characteristics of the wheel of the Mars rover was conducted by testing the radial, axial, torsional, and deflection stiffness. We found that the wheel ribs can improve the stiffness of the wheel but may reduce its driving performance. The analysis methods and evaluation indices can be used to analyze the performance of the wheels of other Mars rovers. Furthermore, the findings of this study can be used to optimize wheel design and motion control of wheel-step Mars exploration rovers.

Mechanical Analysis and Performance Optimization for the Lunar Rover’s Vane-Telescopic Walking Wheel

Abstract It is well-known that optimizing the wheel system of lunar rovers is essential. However, this is a difficult task due to the complex terrain of the moon and limited resources onboard lunar rovers. In this study, an experimental prototype was set up to analyze the existing mechanical design of a lunar rover and improve its performance. First, a new vane-telescopic walking wheel was proposed for the lunar rover with a positive and negative quadrangle suspension, considering the complex terrain of the moon. Next, the performance was optimized under the limitations of preserving the slope passage and minimizing power consumption. This was achieved via analysis of the wheel force during movement. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method was demonstrated by several simulation experiments. The newly designed wheel can protrude on demand and reduce energy consumption; it can be used as a reference for lunar rover development engineering in China.

Technology - Blog. Buzz Words: Healthcare tech; Drones; Rover design - Robotics

From a retinal-imaging device that could detect Alzheimer's to a sand-conquering rover, here are the stories that make words like 'healthcare tech' and 'robotics' trend.

On the movement of the Chaplygin sleigh on a horizontal plane with dry friction

The study of dynamics, as well as the design of autonomous planetary rovers, is an urgent and important task. Recently, in the context of the development of robotic systems and mobile vehicles, the relevance of such systems has increased. Various rover designs are proposed and studied: wheeled, walking, jumping, etc., depending on the objectives of the study, the environment, the surface of the planet, etc. Reliability of such autonomous vehicles is the key element for the safety of planetary missions.This work is devoted to the study of the dynamics of a mechanical system called the Chaplygin sleigh, which is of independent interest, since it has a relatively simple mathematical model. At the same time, the proposed model is in some ways a simplification of a wide class of vehicles. The paper proposes a study of the influence of the Coulomb friction forces on the dynamics of such a system. A simple mathematical model makes it possible to qualitatively study the motion of such systems on surfaces under the condition of sliding of contact points. The results of the work can be useful for understanding the dynamics, as well as for the design of planetary rovers with a similar design, as well as for the design of planetary rovers moving on the surfaces of ice planets.

Discrete Element Simulation of Durability for Bionic Wheels of Mars Rover

Four kinds of bionic surfaces (convex, scale-like, ribbed and concave shape) for Mars rover wheels were designed to improve wheel durability. A discrete element wheel-soil simulation system was developed, and three-dimensional discrete element analysis and soil bin tests were conducted. The results show that the masses of the convex and scale-like forms increased by 5.4% and 17%, respectively, and that the tangential cumulative forces decreased by about 40% and 70%, respectively. The wear mass decreased by 53% and 47%, respectively, compared with a prototypical wheel. The simulation shows that the durability increased significantly. The average tangential cumulative forces of the concave and ribbed shapes increased by more than 50%, and the wear mass decreased by 35% and 32%, respectively, compared with a prototypical wheel. The simulation shows that the results were not definitive. The analysis shows that the durability of the wheels can be improved via bionic optimization method. These results therefore provide a basis and reference for the design and optimization of the Mars rover’s wheel surface.

Using Boulder Tracks as a Tool to Understand the Bearing Capacity of Permanently Shadowed Regions of the Moon

AbstractPermanently shadowed regions (PSRs) are abundant at the lunar poles. They experience no direct sunlight and reach temperatures as low as 30 K. PSRs are of interest as evidence suggests that some may contain water ice (H2O/OH‐), which could provide a record of the evolution of volatiles in the inner solar system. This water ice is also a critical resource for life‐support systems and rocket propellant. A better understanding of mechanical properties of PSR regolith, such as its bearing capacity, will help optimize the design of future exploration rovers and landers. Thirteen boulder tracks were identified on the edge of, or inside, south polar lunar PSR enhanced imagery and used to estimate the strength of the PSR regolith at latitudes of 70° to 76° in sites with maximum annual temperatures of 65 to 210 K. PSR boulder track features are similar to those observed in highland, mare, and pyroclastic regions of the Moon, implying similar properties of the regolith. Measured features were used to estimate bearing capacity for PSR regolith at depths of ~0.28 to 4.68 m. Estimated bearing capacity values suggest that these PSRs may be somewhat stronger than highland and mare regions at depths of 0.28 to 1.00 m. Bearing capacity in these PSRs is statistically the same as those in other regions of the Moon at depths of 1.00 to 2.00 m. The results of this study can be used to infer bearing capacity as one measure for the trafficability of lower‐latitude PSRs of the type measured here.

ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer: A Tool for the Potential Recognition of Wet-Target Craters on Mars.

In the present work, near-infrared, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, Raman, and X-ray diffractometer techniques have been complementarily used to carry out a comprehensive characterization of a terrestrial analogue selected from the Chesapeake Bay impact structure (CBIS). The obtained data clearly highlight the key role of Raman spectroscopy in the detection of minor and trace compounds, through which inferences about geological processes occurred in the CBIS can be extrapolated. Beside the use of commercial systems, further Raman analyses were performed by the Raman laser spectrometer (RLS) ExoMars Simulator. This instrument represents the most reliable tool to effectively predict the scientific capabilities of the ExoMars/Raman system that will be deployed on Mars in 2021. By emulating the analytical procedures and operational restrictions established by the ExoMars mission rover design, it was proved that the RLS ExoMars Simulator can detect the amorphization of quartz, which constitutes an analytical clue of the impact origin of craters. Beside amorphized minerals, the detection of barite and siderite, compounds crystallizing under hydrothermal conditions, helps indirectly to confirm the presence of water in impact targets. Furthermore, the RLS ExoMars Simulator capability of performing smart molecular mappings was successfully evaluated.

Design of Rover and Robotic Arm

A 4-wheel independent drive rover is designed, engineered and built. The rover suspension is made to cope with the adverse conditions of all terrains making it reliable to navigate and explore an alien planet like Mars. The robotic arm is also designed and manufactured with six degree of freedom which is useful to assist the rover for multiple purposes such as to collect the soil samples for testing, to open and close the taps or valves and also to assist the astronaut for picking up tools like screwdriver, cutting player, etc. during an emergency.