Inflatable Technology for Robotics

Abstract

The Inflatable Rover uses novel, large, inflatable wheels to climb over rocks, instead of traveling around them, thus enabling it to traverse over 99% of the Martian surface. Preliminary tests using commercial nylon balloons as tires, a rigid metal chassis, and a simple, joy-stick control, have shown great promise. Tests have been successfully conducted in rugged rocky canyons, on giant sand dunes, and on calm lakes (simulating the liquid methane lakes anticipated on Saturn's moon Titan). Future work will be concentrated in the areas of materials research for the inflatable tires, development of a collapsible chassis, and adaptation of existing algorithms for image recognition and hazard avoidance.