Motion Dynamic Simulations and Experiments of an Exploration Rover on Natural Terrain

This paper investigates a physical model of the wheel traction in the relationship of the motion dynamics, and thereby studies the cases where a rover negotiates with natural rough terrain, slips and stacks on a steep slope. Experiments are carried out with a rover test bed to observe the physical phenomena and extract essential parameters, and the dynamic simulations are carried out to be compared with the experimental data. Illustrative simulations show that the motion of the vehicle, including the adaptive response of the rocker-bogie suspension to rough terrain and the development of the slip on a sandy slope, is successfully modeled and simulated with the in-house software dedicated for dynamics simulation.