31 WHEELED ROBOTS AND LUNAR CARS

Hylos robot, 2003    http://www.itep.ws/pdf

http://HUDEM2002.pdf                  

Hylos robot, 2003, from Christophe Grand of Robotic Laboratory of Paris and CEA, Fontenay aux Roses, with hybrid leg-wheels.

The same Hylos wheeled legged robot from about 2006-07 at Pierre et Marie Curie University, Paris. See Chap 'Self-leveling vehicles'. http://www.cnrs.fr/cw/dossiers/dosrob/legendes/hylos01.html http://www.cnrs.fr/paris-michel-ange/design-doc/Expo/Expo%20CNRS/www.cnrs.fr/CMA/dyna/articlef4c2.html?

id_article=520

Hylos robot, 2008, from ISIR and Pierre and Marie Curie University. Its directional four wheeled legs gives it the capacity to reconfigure securing the difficult obstacle crossing in alternating modes of travel depending on the terrain. It easily passes the pure rolling on plan floor to the crossing type of discontinuity steps of staircase. http://guliverdesign.com/hylos.htmlhttp://www.cnrs.fr/cw/dossiers/dosrob/accueil/decouvrir/explorer/hylos.html

Lamalice 4 wheels articulated nano-robot for planetary exploration and surveillance, from EPFL, Lausanne, 1999. Speed is 1 cm/s, 11 cm long, mass 30 g. The wheels are made of flexible blades radially fixed on the axis. On one hand this permits the wheels to be rolled up for transport, on the other hand a smooth movement of the gravity center is reached, which increases power efficiency of the obstacle overcome. http://projects.asl.ethz.ch/robox/database/other%20robots/page_01.htm

SpaceCat Mobile Robot of EPFL of Lausanne in 1999, mass 2 kg, + 2 kg payload, speed 5m/h. It can roll or walk with Tri-Star Wheels. http://library.epfl.ch/en/theses/?nr=2833&fmt=appendix http://ai.stanford.edu/~conti/spacecat.html

Shrimp robot was built in early 2000 by EPFL, Lausanne. Bleubotics markets Shrimp III since 2005. This robot behaves like an articulated 6x6 (like Metrac of Meili or Gama-Goat) but fitted with a non-active pitch control (springs). Simple and effective. http://www.

sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/11/041130081240.htm

Shrimp.avi

Shrimp III of Bleubotics SA., Switzerland, marketed in 2005. http://www.bluebotics.com/mobile-robotics/shrimp-3

Search and Rescue robot of Temasek Polytechnic at Singapore. This robot is issued from Shrimp of EPFL, Lausanne.

Octopus robot, 2004, from EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland. When an obstacle was detected by the wheel deformation, mechanism moved arms in the right direction to overcome it. EPFL now ETH is at Zurich. http://www.asl.ethz.ch/robots/octopus

Shrimp EPFL Robot                                   

Uptech Voyager-IV Robot Development Platform marketed by Utech Robotics, China.  http://www.robotshop.com/uptech-voyager-iv.html

Petrobas robot from Petrobas robotics laboratory (CENPES), for collecting environmental information from Amazon regions.   http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oce/appel/ask/issues/38/38s_petrobras.html   and   httpwww.google.

frimgresstart=219&um=1&hl=fr&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.

mozillafrofficial&biw=1120&bih=641&tbm=isch&tbnid=GYwESK9ZyhF5jM&imgrefurl=httpwww.

emeraldinsight.

comjournals.htm%3Farticleid

%3D1958482%26show%3D

HER, Hybrid Environmental Robot, 2011, for use in Amazon forest belongs to the Brazilian energy firm Petrobas. It was developed by Piatam, Brazilian State University and Petrobas. It is fitted by 8 electric motors, almost spherical wheels and a much elaborated active suspension.      http://bob-basic.blogspot.fr/2011_03_01_archive.html   http://www.coep.ufrj.br/~gfreitas/projectsenglish.html                  http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1678-58782010000400011

Next Mars Rover of NASA, Curiosity, which landed on Mars on 2012 08 06.  http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/rover/

N° 7 Robot, 2009, is a 6 wheels experimental platform, each wheel with its motor hub wheels.  Suspension arms are controlled by other electric motors and detectors of obstacles to cross them. A spring suspension is incorporated too and an all automatic system improves performances.               http://projects.roboclub.ru/index.shtml?demon7

Low Coast Personal Porter Robot. It can follow its master.     http://www.diginfo.tv/v/11-0193-r-en.php

 GM Lunar 6x6 Car used as mobility test, early 60s. the drawing is on a postcard :   http://www.cardcow.com/322860/gm-mobility-test-article-transportation-space-rockets/

 Foxbot, 2006, from Roboterwerk Gmbh, Germany. Independent suspension must be noticed.   http://www.roboterwerk.de/en/projekte_auf

tragsentw.html

Crawler robot, 2011, RC, powered by lithium batteries. Legs are flexible and can grip on different kind of surfaces. Sponsored by Trumpf Group, Ditzingen, Germany and Institute of Stuttgart http://afistofrap.blogspot.fr/2011/10/mechanik-laser-tv.html

Marsokhod 1988, Lama 1994-95 or J-Rover 1996 from VNIITM.   http://www.enlight.ru/

ib/tech/vtm/index.htm

Russian Planetary Robots. Above L and R : Marsokhod, 1989. This mock-up was demonstrated at 11 International Exhibitions in the USA, Spain, Sweden, France, Germany, Korea, Taiwan. Lower left : XM-Scepka, running mock-up of the Coupling Chassis, 1971. Lower right : Running mock-up with inflatable wheels (1989). From : http://www.enlight.ru/

ib/tech/vtm/vniitm.pdf

LMRC Demonstrator, 1997, from VNIITRANSMASH, St Petersburg. Motors and gear boxes came of the Swiss Mackon firm. From : http://www.enlight.ru/

ib/tech/vtm/vniitm.pdfm

LRM Lunar Robotic Mockup (LRV), articulated suspension, FWD and FWS. Developed by Rover Company, St Petersburg, on ESA European Space Agency contract.   http://robotics.estec.esa.int/Xcel_export/TEC/Robotics/SEMBWA8LURE_3.html

Lunar Electric Rover, LER, 2009, from NASA on YouTube   :  NASA_Completes_Desert

_Lunar_Rover_Testing

K Rover from NASA, 2012.      https://ti.arc.nasa.gov/

blog/irg/

Stair climbing devices on YouTube. These devices are not really off-road.         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYYxM8UQaXU                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qWYAOGZVM4

Genbu Fire Fighting Multi Wheeled Robot, of Shigeo Hirose, 1995.

When the twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed on September 11, 2001, robotics expert Robin Murphy and three colleagues from the University of South Florida drove eighteen hours to New York City to help search through the rubble for survivors. They brought eight different search-and-rescue robots.

http://www.science

clarified.com/scitech/Artificial-Intelligence/AI-and-Robotics.html

Genbu multi-wheeled robot, 1995, of S. Hirose and Fukushima Robotics Lab., used to support firefighting hoses on debris.

Genbu II, of Tokyo Institute of Technology. It has elastic joints and all wheels are driven.   http://robot.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/parts/image_for_link/2416-96-15-1.html

Tri-Star IV robot, of Tokyo Institute of Technology by Shigeo Hirose, 2011. Metal sheet and canvas wheels prevent to sink in sand or surmount rocs. Speed 3,6 km/h, 3 wheels and 50 kg. It is designed for very thin sand of lunar surface. Note spokes wheels are made reality of springs. http://zhelezyaka.com/news.php?id=5325

Wheel of Shigeo Hirose, late 90s, could climb on a wall. http://www-robot.mes.titech.ac.jp/robot_e.html

Stair Climbing Robot, with a simple and automatic device : a kind of telescopic leg helps to go upstairs and is automatically retracted on flat ground.   On youtube : Stair_Climbing_Robot__   from Japan

Mule of Lockheed Martin, 2011     http://www.military

factory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=314

Mule at AUSA, 2008 utilizing composite materials wheels, less vulnerable.   http://defense-update.com/products/m/mule-load-carrier.htm

Mini Crusher of Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Mass 57 kg, 45 kg payload, 24 km/h, removable battery pack, used for mine mapping, surveillance.   http://www.rec.ri.cmu.edu/projects/mini_crusher/

Spinner UGCV of Team Retarius, 2003-2004. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11379&page=144#p2000d4239960144001

Spinner UGV 6x6

Spinner UGCV issued from Mule of early 2000, Cargenie Mellon built larger versions : Crusher, Perceptor and Autonomous Platform Demonstrator (APD) in 2008. The Spinner could roll over and start again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Kh7FVgDCU

UGVC Perceptor

Crusher 6x6 robot UGV developed at Cargenie Mellon University in 2008 was issued from 6x6 Mule of Lockheed in 2006. http://www.unmanned.co.uk/ugv-gallery/ http://www.hightech-edge.com/crusher-darpa-autonomous-robot-iphone-xbox-controller/1417/

 Crusher 6x6

RHex robot marketed by Boston Dynamics was originally conceived by Universities of Michigan and California. It can swim on or under water, jump, do a back somersault, runs fast in mud, sand or rocks. The 6 legs rotate like wheels but they aren't wheels. www.rhex.web.tr/

RHex in different configurations. www.rhex.web.tr/

Nano Rover of JPL of NASA, conceived by Brian Wilcox in 1997. It had to carry transport instruments for planetary exploration with a mass less of 10 kg, length 10 cm. It could operate up and down side, flip over, lower on flat ground, lift the wheels over obstacles and could articulate to keep all wheels in contact with ground providing maximum traction even on low gravity fields.

Big Wheels, inflatable rover of JPL, 1999. Tires of B.F. Goodrich Aerospace have 1,5 m diameter to traverse well 99% of the Martian surface. http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/adv_tech/rovers/bigwheel.htm

Axel Rover of JPL, California, 2009. http://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/systems/system.cfm?System=16

TRESSA Robot of JPL, NASA. Three robots were provided : 2 as anchor and the third, Cliffbot, could get down or up a slope of 90 ° thanks to cables. Tested in Norway. http://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/facilities/facilityImages.cfm?Facility=4

Tumbleweed Inflatable Rover of JPL, 6 m diameter. "Tumbleweed" was a large, beach ball-like device that holds a central payload (replacing parachute), landing (replacing airbag) and mobility (wind-driven on surface). With a 6-meter diameter ball on Mars, speeds of about 10 m/sec could be achieved with winds of 20 m/sec ; steep hills should be easily climbed with only moderate winds. To stop, the ball was partially deflated by remote control ; its mobility was then returned by command using a built-in pump to re-inflate the Tumbleweed. Tests using this type of ball were successfully conducted in the 1960s by JPL. http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/adv_tech/rovers/tmblweed.htm

SRR robot, 1997, JPL. They could act as Robot Work Crew or as cliff-traversal robot. http://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/systems/system.cfm?System=6

SRR2K-460 cliff-traversal robot from JPL, 2000. http://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/systems/system.cfm?System=6

8 Wheeler robot of JPL. http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/multimedia/2007/09/gallery_nextfest1?slide=7&slideView=8

Mars rover Sojourner or Rocky IV, in 1992, soft-landed on Mars on July 4, 1997. Sojourner's wheels and suspension used a rocker-bogie system. http://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/projects/projectVideo.cfm?Project=4&Video=54

Rovers, between 1964 and 2006. From L to R and downwards : SLRV proto of 1964 from GM by Greg Bekker later retrofitted, painted, renamed blue rover ; Athena Rover , 2006 ; Rocky I ; Go-For ; Blue Rover, 1997 ; Robby, 1990. From JPL.

Rocky III robot, 1992. From JPL, this autonomous robot weights 26 kg. Pict. from review 'Sciences et Vie' J., April 1992.

Markus Johansson Robot, 2006. Electric drive ten motors robot of 8 kg and 280 mm length from Finland Association for Robotics. It uses rocker suspensions.  

www.markus_Johansson_OFF

_ROAD_robotti.jpg

http://www.propelli.net/robot/off_road.htm

Robot from Thailand    http://www.rc-plus.net/board/index.php?topic=779.0

The Scarab rover, built by Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute. http://www.robotliving.com/science/scarab-rover-tested-in-hawaii/ http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/multimedia/imagegallery/if034_scarab_rover.html

Lunar articulated 6x6 of General Motors in 1961. See Chap : '6x6 articulated, light'.

http://projectswordtoys.

blogspot.com/2010/10/

ridiculous-to-sublime.html

6x6 lunar test vehicle of M. G. Bekker from GM Research Laboratory, Santa Monica, in the 60s. Flexible frame was to replace active pitch control. Pict from 'Journal of Terramachnics' in the 60s, Pergamon Press, later Elsevier.

US003235020-001 patent Vehicle with flexible frame, Bekker, 1966.

Articulated 6x6 chassis for Lunar Exploration studied in 1962 by M. G. Bekker. Many other mode of locomotion like tracks, walking, snakes, hopping began to be systematically compared to move on Moon. Pict from cover of review 'Science et Vie', Mars 1962.

I drove the first Lunar Car

Lunar Cars

Wheeled Russian Rovers. U to L and L to R : Marsokhod 6x6, Three wheeled rover, Rover Luna, 1970, XM-PC, 1976.

 http://www.enlight.ru/ib/tech/vtm/index.htm  

Spring wheels for rover : a suspension is integrated to the wheels. http://www.enlight.ru/ib/tech/vtm/index.htm

Scramble Bug, 1964, toy presented at the World Fair of New-York, part of General Motors display. Large spherical wheels 6x6 articulated model inspired by moon rovers studied by GM at Santa Barbara, Ca, is now in GM museum. http://projectswordtoys.

blogspot.fr/2010/08/evolution-of-scramble-bug.html

Nomad robot of the Carnegie Mellon University, 1997, was created for earth and planetary exploration. Tested in Atacama Desert, north Chile, on a variety of terrains, it was driven autonomously on 21 km. Similar mission took place in Arctic in 2000. Chassis was expandable and suspensions were self-leveling, avoiding rolling over on slopes. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~lri/nav97.html

Halluc II robot, 2007, is an eight-legged semi-autonomous mobile robot, shown here at a press preview at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo, Japan. It can run or walk with its articulated wheeled arms. http://pinktentacle.com/2007/07/halluc-ii-8-legged-robot-vehicle/

Halluc II Robot. Wheels are completely independent.

Mule of Lockheed Martin presented in 2003. It was a 6x6 thanks to in-hub electric motors. Active suspension allowed to cross obstacles twice the diameter of the wheels. Intended to carry soldier equipment.

UGCV Robot of Rod Millen and Lockheed Martin issued from Mule. They can see how to climb over obstacle thanks electric hub-engine motorized arms suspension. http://www.millenworks.com/projects/191/Unmanned_

Ground_Vehicles/67/UGCV.html

UGCV Robot of Retarius Team, Rod Millen and Lockheed Martin issued in 2003 from Mule. The suspensions allowed crossing large obstacles. A larger version, the Crusher of 6,5 t, a 6x6 robot vehicle too, of Carnegie Mellon's, was presented in 2006. These vehicles could roll over and continue their route.

Iares robot studied since 1993 and delivered to France by VNII TRansmash, now Rover Company Ltd, of St Petersburg, in 1996, is better than prior Marsohod (LAMA), its wheels being independent. It was tested in Toulouse, at CNES, which made software. Iares is a self-leveling robot. It is intended to go on Mars in 2018. http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2010/12/09/966476-le-robot-toulousain-va-explorer-mars.html http://lechevalier.

sylvain.free.fr/photos/astro/iares/iares.htm

 IARES Robot

Below :

Iares Robot, tested in 2010 by CNES for planetary exploration.     http://www.stdaily.com/kjrb/content/2010-12/26/content_260166.htm

RXV-E Rotem Robot 6x6, 2003, South Korea, 700 kg, 1.6 m long, 6 electric motors in wheels and tilt mechanism. http://shusharmor.livejournal.com/tag/

Rocker bogie 8x8 rover from JPL of NASA.   http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/multimedia/2007/09/gallery_nextfest1?slide=7&slideView=10     

 Robonaut R2A Robot at Kennedy Space Center to be carried by International Space Station.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasarobonaut/5473443001/in/set-72157626127948108/

 K10 robot of NASA and 3 universities, tested in Canada in 2010. Mass 80 kg, payload 15 kg, max speed 0,9 m/s.   http://lunarnetworks.blogspot.fr/2011/02/high-speed-lunar-navigation-for-crewed.html  and   http://www.lunarscience.nasa.gov/robots/2010/robotic-tech/k10-robot-fast-facts

Gofor rover, from JPL, 1992.                 http://www.oobject.com/cars-in-space/jpl-robotics-gofor-rover-1992/3762/

FOXBOT, 2006, from Rheinmetall Defense, radio controlled until 1000 m, for surveillance and recce missions.        http://defense-update.com/20060502_foxbot.html

 Articulated 6x6 test vehicle of Braude College, Israel.                  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VruQAPzUEJY

 6x6 robot of Braude College, Israel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VruQAPzUEJY