AUTHOR
Hakenberg, Jan Philipp

DEPARTMENT
Space Science, Kiruna

SUMMARY
We investigate the mobility of Marsokhod onto which we have installed new hardware. We introduce backlash compensation for the arm joints, and wheel control with a continuous duty cycle. Calibration of the wheels allows us to measure the load on the wheels accurately.

The robot responds autonomously to the level of the supply voltage, the information of the accelerometer, and the load on the wheels. The overall performance is a smooth superposition of individual behaviours. Our control software has a simple interface. An operator commands the robot to conduct advanced motions with only a joystick.

ISSN 1653-0187 / ISRN LTU-PB-EX--09/047--SE / NR 2009:047