Hardware and control design considerations for a monitoring system of autonomous mobile robots in extreme environment

Abstract

We are designing an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) for use in a large-scale and long-term environmental monitoring system. Existing high-performance UGVs cannot cope with unexpected events because their design concept, like that of almost all previous mobile robots, is based on the development of a single high-performance robot capable of performing every task. To overcome this limitation, we propose using multiple inexpensive robots and operating them such that each compensates for the shortcomings of the others. The objective of this study is to design a robot that could be used to realize a multiple autonomous mobile robot system for long-term outdoor operation. These robots use only two motors for movement and rely on internal sensors for the control of the robot, thus minimizing the cost. The developed robot is capable of handling unexpected events such that could traverse extreme environments such as forests. The design concept will contribute to the configuration of a multiple robot system and also to increasing the robustness of the overall system. In addition to proposing a robotic system for long-term operation, this study also proposes a novel idea whereby parts of a robot may be sacrificed to attain the overall objective. In this paper, we describe the details of the wheel and the control design of the robot, and also present the results of some experiments using the developed robot.