A Study on Hybrid Wheels for Planetary Surface Rover

Abstract

Tottori University is carrying out research and development of a mobile robot (rover) aimed at searching for rocks and soils on the Mars surface. The target areas for Mars exploration is mainly in mountainous zones, and the Mras surface is covered by regolith or rocks. Achieving a steady run on such irregular terrain is the big technical issue for rovers. A newly developed lightweight hybrid wheel mechanism which consists of a flexible wheel and a rigid wheel is good for driving on such irregular terrain because of its low contact force with the ground and steady grip of the rocks. This was determined considering the mass and expected payload of the rover. In this paper, testing results of prototype of Mars rover and its wheels are described and discussed.