On modeling and motion planning of planetary vehicles

The authors address the navigation of wheeled vehicles over the rough terrains. They present a system for simulating vehicle motions over 3-D terrain which considers the kinematics of the locomotion mechanism, the physics of the interaction between the wheels and the ground being obtained by integration of some basic aspects of terramechanics. This system is exploited to search for paths which guarantee that the vehicle remains maneuverable and stable and rolls without sliding. Paths are mapped by deforming a nominal path joining a set of subgoal points. The choice of the best path can based on different performance criteria, e.g., covered distance, energy consumption, and risk factor