Simplified navigation and traverse planning for a long-range planetary rover

This paper presents the sensor and control system for SR2, a planetary rover prototype capable of km+/day traverses through Mars-like terrain. The control system described allowed the rover to successfully navigate Mars-like terrain given a set of waypoints spaced approximately 100m apart. The control system uses input from a variety of sensors including heading, roll, pitch, an array of proximity sensors, voltage and current sensors, and a depth from stereo camera system. The control system is adequate, when combined with the rover’s mobility system to make its way over or around almost all hazards a rover is likely to encounter, and to know when it is getting diverted so far off course that it needs to ask for help. In a recent field test, the robot autonomously navigated through 1.3 km of Mars like terrain to reach its goal. The SR2 is a solar powered, four-wheeled rover that masses 21kg and fits inside a 90 × 65 × 40cm envelope.