Effects of Turning Radius on Skid-Steered Wheeled Robot Power Consumption on Loose Soil

This paper highlights the need for a new power model skid-steered wheeled robots driving on loose soil, and lays groundwork to develop such model. State-of-the-art modeling assumes hard ground; under typical assumptions, this predicts constant consumption over range of small turning radii where inner wheels rotate backwards. However, experimental results performed both in field controlled laboratory show that, sand, is not fact with respect radius case. Power peaks newly identified turns backwards but are dragged forward. Data shows higher motor torque wheel sinkage range. A skidding that sunk into soil bulldozes pile sand; initial phenomenon reproduces trend additional radius. As work full continues, identifies avoid whenever possible practice.