Modeling robot-soil interaction for planetary rover motion control

Abstract

In aim to optimize the control for an off-road robot and specially a robot with a crawling motion mode named peristaltical motion, it is essential to understand robot-soil interaction. We present an efficient method for simulating this interaction. This method can simulate the dynamic behavior of a 6-wheeled/3-axles Marsokhod type robot on different kinds of soils. With this simulation, we have defined the necessary conditions for using the peristaltical motion on sand or loose soil.