Proposal of Evaluation of Robotic Devices Trafficability, in Low-Endurable Terrain

Abstract

In unit movement planning, evaluation is needed, especially for roads, bridges (width, radius, load capacity, etc.) and the trafficability of the subject terrain. In the context of vehicles – wheeled or tracked, the critical break occurs when the vehicles mire and the convoy is stalled. Currently, robotic devices are often used. This trend is reflected in the Army. That is why the trafficability of these devices needs to be investigated. Robots are performing more demanding tasks and their ability to conquer, not only the terrain but also inaccessible places, is important. The authors decided to examine the trafficability of small robotic devices in low endurable terrain. To investigate, mathematical models were used to determine the terrain trafficability for common military vehicles. The required parameters for the tested robotic devices were used in the formulas. Experimental validation was performed to determine the suitability of the mathematical methods. Comparison of the mathematical results, with the values obtained by experiment, showed that the mathematic methods for larger vehicles are also suitable for smaller tracked robotic devices. For wheeled robotic devices, the match of the results was lower. The results show that current mathematical procedures can be applied to robotic devices, however, further validation is required.