Innovative design for wheeled locomotion in rough terrain

In our paper we present an innovative locomotion concept for rough terrain based on six motorized wheels. Using rhombus configuration, the rover named Shrimp has a steering wheel in the front and the rear, and two wheels arranged on a bogie on each side. The front wheel has a spring suspension to guarantee optimal ground contact of all wheels at any time. The steering of the rover is realized by synchronizing the steering of the front and rear wheels and the speed difference of the bogie wheels. This allows for precision maneuvers and even turning on the spot with minimum slippage. The use of parallel articulations for the front wheel and the bogies enables to set a virtual center of rotation at the level of or below the wheel axis. This insures maximum stability and climbing abilities even for very low friction coefficients between the wheel and the ground. A well functioning prototype has been designed and manufactured. It shows excellent performance surpassing our expectations. The robot, measuring only about 60 cm in length and 20 cm in height, is able to passively overcome obstacles of up to two times its wheel diameter and can climb stairs with steps of over 20 cm. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.