We design a vehicle with a steering system made of two independently rotatable wheels on the front. We quantify the effectiveness of the steering system in the mobility and maneuverability of the vehicle running in a box containing a layer ping-pong balls with a packing density 0.8, below the random close packing value 0.84 in 2D. The steering system can reduce the resistance exerted by the jammed balls formed ahead of the fast-moving vehicle. Moreover, if only one of the two steering wheels rotates, the vehicle can turn into the direction opposite to the rotating wheel. The steering system performs more efficiently if the wheels engage the ping-pong balls better by increasing the contact area between the wheels and the balls. We advocate applying our design to machines moving in granular materials with a moderate packing density.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.