Design of the mechanics and sensor system of an autonomous all-terrain robot platform

Abstract

This paper presents the design of an all-terrain wheeled robotic vehicle. The robot is tele-supervised containing several semi-autonomous and autonomous functionalities. The human operator's role is more like giving directions and targets for the robot rather that directly driving the robot. Navigating in an uncharted and non-structured environment presents a great challenge for a mobile autonomous robot in terms of obstacle detection and route navigation. The outdoor weather conditions also pose several challenges for the configuration of the robot's sensors and mechanics. The focus on this paper is on the design of the sensor system and the mechanics of the robot.