Comparative study of terramechanics properties of spherical and cylindrical feet for planetary legged robots on deformable terrain

Abstract

Legged robots exhibit superior adaptability to complex extraterrestrial environments compared to wheeled mobile robots. However, legged robots employed in planetary exploration face challenges in dealing with soft terrains. This paper focuses on investigating the issues of large foot sinkage and slip encountered by legged robots on soft terrain. Extensive experiments on quasi-static loading, loading with impact and tangential force have been carried out for both spherical and cylindrical feet. The variations in normal force, tangential force, and sinkage are meticulously recorded and analyzed. Foot-terrain interaction mechanics models are established to address scenarios involving substantial sinkage and sliding sinkage, leveraging the stress distribution characteristics of deformable soil. Accurate models are obtained through parameter identification utilizing experimental data, which can aid in the foot design of legged robots intended for planetary exploration. Based on the developed models and experimental data, a design optimization scheme for the coronal foot is proposed, leading to performance enhancements that are validated through experimental verification.