Abstract
Mobile rovers for lunar or planetary exploration are expected to break a new ground in the field of space science. The realization of adequate locomotion mechanisms for traveling on the surfaces of extraterrestrial bodies is principally a technical challenge. In particular, a reliable mobility on loose soil such as the lunar soil is required for successful rover missions on the Moon. So, the authors propose the novel concept of a micro-rover with an old and new locomotive component, screw unit, and such innovative rover is called Screw Rover. The screw units basically enable the rover to move in various directions by the simple combination of driving modes. Furthermore, Screw Rover can possess a robust and insensitive structure to the serious situation which is a stuck phenomenon caused by slippage and sinkage. In this paper, the fundamental considerations which include the design overview of Screw Rover and the theoretical discussion are presented as the primary study on Screw Rover.
