LAUSR

Abstract This paper examines a biologically inspired, transforming mars rover concept known as the Transforming Roving Rolling Explorer (TRREx). The rover is designed to operate in two modes: the ‘roving’ and ‘rolling’ modes. The roving mode is similar to many traditional wheeled rover designs and is useful for exploring relatively flat terrains. The rolling mode is intended to enable the rover to travel down steep slopes, such as those found in ravines and crater walls. In the rolling mode, the vehicle folds itself into a sphere and propels itself by shifting its center of mass. It does this by opening and closing the eight panels which form the surface of the sphere. The evaluation of this rolling mode is the primary focus of this paper. To that end, a spherical prototype TRREx has been designed, constructed, and tested. In addition, a mathematical model of the vehicle’s rolling mode dynamics has been created. The performance of the physical prototype has been compared to simulation results and the qualitative agreement between the experimental and simulated results indicate that the mathematical model created for the vehicle’s rolling mode dynamics captures the essential behavior of the vehicle. The mathematical simulation was then used to explore the TRREx parameter design space in order to analyze the effect of changing various system parameters. A path tracking simulation is also included as a case study to highlight the ability of a TRREx vehicle to traverse a desired path.