Passive Actuation of a Planetary Rover to Assist Sandy Slope Traverse

Abstract

This thesis introduces the design of a novel locomotive methodology. The problem being addressed is the traverse of unmanned locomotion over sandy inclined traverses. This is a special terramechanical issue regarding terrain or regolith that is non-cohesive in nature. The method uses a planetary exploration rover, Solar Rover 2 as its base. The proposed solution methodology includes a passively-actuated leg affixed to the rover to assist in slope traversal. Proposed physical implementations are designed and virtual representations are created, studied, and simulated in SolidWorks. This solution is justified through the use of a simulation designed in MATLAB.