Abstract
We are in the process of development of the“HELIOS-V”, which is equipped with 4 low-pressure tires outside and 2 high-pressure tires inside. This vehicle is designed to acquire the performance to ascend and descend stairs using low-pressure tires and move effectively on even ground by using high-pressure tires. To make the most of the characteristics of the vehicle, we have to understand the performance of the wheels in accordance with the terrain condition quantitatively. Therefore we constructed an experiment setup to evaluate performance of wheels on several terrain conditions without influence of the vehicle motion. By this experiment, we compared a low-pressure tire with a high-pressure tire and showed superiority of a low-pressure tire on rough terrain. We also evaluated 2 kinds of tires with slits and ribs to make grip force. Based on these considerations, we developed a Hard-Soft Wheel, or HS Wheel having both of the advantages of a low-pressure and high-pressure tire.
