Internally-actuated rovers for all-access surface mobility: Theory and experimentation

Allen, Ross; Pavone, Marco; McQuin, Christopher; Nesnas, Issa; Castillo‐Rogez, Julie; Nguyen, Tam-Nguyen; Hoffman, Jeffrey A.

doi:10.1109/icra.2013.6631363

Cited by 18 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…We compare our results to the theoretical case of a cube actuated with a flywheel as has been studied in [19]. Similar cube-like systems have also been developed and studied in [10] and [12].…”

Section: Performance Of Fixed-pointsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Efficient and Stable Locomotion for Impulse-Actuated Robots Using Strictly Convex Foot Shapes

Giardina

Iida

2018

IEEE Trans. Robot.

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Impulsive actuation enables robots to perform agile manoeuvres and surpass difficult terrain, yet its capacity to induce continuous and stable locomotion have not been explored. We claim that strictly convex foot shapes can improve impulse effectiveness (impulse used per travelled distance) and locomotion speed by facilitating periodicity and stability. To test this premise, we introduce a theoretical two-dimensional model based on rigidbody mechanics to prove stability. We then implement a more elaborate model in simulation to study transient behaviour and impulse effectiveness. Finally, we test our findings on a robot platform to prove their physical validity. Our results prove, that continuous and stable locomotion can be achieved in the strictly convex case of a disc with off-centred mass. In keeping with our theory, stable limit cycles of the off-centred disc outperform the theoretical performance of a cube in simulation and experiment, using up to 10 times less impulse per distance to travel at the same locomotion speed.

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Section: Performance Of Fixed-pointsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Efficient and Stable Locomotion for Impulse-Actuated Robots Using Strictly Convex Foot Shapes

Giardina

Iida

2018

IEEE Trans. Robot.

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“…In this section we only provide a brief summary to make the paper self-contained; more details can be found in [11].…”

Section: Spacecraft/rover Hybrid: Mobility Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…experiment demonstrated tumbling but the simulation did not), then the torque profile would be amplified or attenuated until similar behavior was observed. The key result is that an average torque amplification of only 6% is required for the simulation to emulate the experiments (more details about the prototype and the experiments can be found in [11]). …”

Section: Prototype and Design Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general, experimental results on this test stand were in agreement with the results from the pulley system test stand, the analytical models, and the numerical simulations. More details can be found in [11].…”

Section: Prototype and Design Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This paper is structured as follows. In Section 2 we summarize the design and the main mobility properties of the hybrids; we also discuss the development of a prototype and initial experimental results on a physical test stand emulating a low gravity environment (this section summarizes the results in [11] and makes this paper self-contained). In Section 3 we provide first order estimates of critical subsystems such as power, communication, thermal, science payload, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spacecraft/rover hybrids for the exploration of small Solar System bodies

Pavone

Castillo‐Rogez

Nesnas

et al. 2013

2013 IEEE Aerospace Conference

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Abstract-In this paper we present a mission architecture for the systematic and affordable in-situ exploration of small Solar System bodies (such as asteroids, comets, and Martian moons). At a general level, a mother spacecraft would deploy on the surface of a small body one, or several, spacecraft/rover hybrids, which are small (< 5 kg, ≈ 15 Watts), multi-faceted robots enclosing three mutually orthogonal flywheels and surrounded by external spikes (in particular, there is no external propulsion). By accelerating/decelerating the flywheels and by exploiting the low gravity environment, the hybrids would be capable of performing both long excursions (by hopping) and short traverses to specific locations (through a sequence of controlled "tumbles"). Their control would rely on synergistic operations with the mother spacecraft (where most of hybrids perception and localization functionalities would be hosted), which would make the platforms minimalistic and in turn the entire mission architecture affordable. Specifically, in the first part of the paper we present preliminary models and laboratory experiments for the hybrids, first-order estimates for critical subsystems, and a preliminary study for synergistic mission operations. In the second part, we tailor our mission architecture to the exploration of Mars' moon Phobos. The mission aims at exploring Phobos' Stickney crater, whose spectral similarities with C-type asteroids and variety of terrain properties make it a particularly interesting exploration target to address both high-priority science for the Martian system and strategic knowledge gaps for the future human exploration of Mars.

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Design, Control, and Experimentation of Internally‐Actuated Rovers for the Exploration of Low‐gravity Planetary Bodies

Hockman

Frick

Reid

et al. 2016

Journal of Field Robotics

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This paper discusses the design, control, and experimentation of internally‐actuated rovers for the exploration of low‐gravity (micro‐g to milli‐g) planetary bodies, such as asteroids, comets, or small moons. The rover is actuated by spinning three internal flywheels, which allows all subsystems to be packaged in one sealed enclosure and enables the platform to be minimalistic, thereby reducing its cost. By controlling the spin rate of the flywheels, the rover can achieve large surface coverage by attitude‐controlled hops, fine mobility by tumbling, and coarse instrument pointing by changing the orientation relative to the ground. We first discuss the dynamics of such rovers, their control, and key design features (e.g., flywheel shape and orientation, geometry of external spikes, and system engineering aspects). We then discuss the design and control of a first‐of‐a‐kind test bed that enables the accurate emulation of a microgravity environment for mobility experiments, which consists of a three‐degree‐of‐freedom gimbal attached to an actively controlled gantry crane. Finally, we present experimental results on the test bed that provide key insights for rover control and validate our theoretical analysis.

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Internally-actuated rovers for all-access surface mobility: Theory and experimentation

Cited by 18 publications

References 11 publications

Efficient and Stable Locomotion for Impulse-Actuated Robots Using Strictly Convex Foot Shapes

Efficient and Stable Locomotion for Impulse-Actuated Robots Using Strictly Convex Foot Shapes

Spacecraft/rover hybrids for the exploration of small Solar System bodies

Design, Control, and Experimentation of Internally‐Actuated Rovers for the Exploration of Low‐gravity Planetary Bodies

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