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Subject: 
Re: Shrimp, Lobster & more...
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics
Date: 
Tue, 27 Feb 2001 21:13:24 GMT
Viewed: 
796 times
  
In lugnet.robotics, Mario Ferrari writes:
Like Xanthra47 wrote, there's still room for the first shrimp that can steer
:-)

On this topic I have some ideas. I would use the four central wheels like
tracks, blocking the inner ones in the turn (or slowing down them) while
keeping the outers at full power. This means some slippage is required but I
think it can work. The problem are the two front and bottom single wheels,
we really have to turn them to make turnings possible. Maybe two turntable
controlled by a single motor that turns them in sync (but opposite
direction)...

The mechanism to steer these two wheels in sync would be a bit tricky,
though, considering that the wheels are suspended independently.

An easier and more flexible way is to steer the two wheels separately, but
attach a rotation sensor to each of the wheels, and keep them in sync
through software.

If I understand it correctly, the original Shrimp has 6 degrees of freedom
in terms of motion control (i.e., it requires 6 output ports for motion):

    front wheel driving
    front wheel steering
    back wheel driving
    back wheel steering
    left two wheels driving
    right two wheels driving

When it turns in-place, the four middle wheels will slip. (See
<http://dmtwww.epfl.ch/isr/asl/systems/shrimp/sld003.htm>.)

In addition to the car-like steering and turning-in-place, you may want to
try some other interesting maneuvers, like "crabbing"... (Steer the front
and back wheels sideway, like when turnining in-place, but drive the two
wheels in the same direction, dragging the four middle wheels along.
Sojourner had done it on Mars.)

I also wonder what happens when SHRIMP tries and turns on a very rough
terrain or while over an obstacle.

Mario

I am wondering the same thing.

Sojourner has 10 degrees of freedom in motion control (all the six wheels
are powered independently, and the four outer wheels are steered
independently). A later prototype, Rocky 7, simplified the design to 6 DOMs,
while introducing some slippage while turning, similar to Shrimp. (See
<http://robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/people/volpe/papers/Jr7.ps.gz>.)

But now NASA is switching back to the old 10-DOM design. (See the email
attached at the end, from a nice person working at NASA.)

Your Shrimp in Lego is very exciting! Not only is the mechanism ingenious,
it also looks practical enough to be incorporated into a full-featured
mobile robot, controlled by two or three RCXs.

Cheers,
Hao-yang Wang


---------------- Begin Forwarded Message ----------------
Date:        1/30/01 2:40 PM
Received:    1/30/01 2:51 PM
From:        Richard Volpe, volpe@helios.jpl.nasa.gov
To:          Hao-yang Wang, hao-yang_wang@filemaker.com


Yes, MER will have 4 wheel steering.  Rocky 7 was a concept design
for reduced actuation mobility.  MER decided to reuse the Sojourner
design, scaled up.

Thanks for your interest -- Rich


Hao-yang Wang wrote:

In the movie from JPL' Mars Exploration Program web site
<http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mep/missions/rover_movie.mpg>, the 2003 Rover
is shown to steer all of its four corner wheels while turning in-place.
Does this means this new Mars Rover will have 10 degrees-of-freedom in
mobility like Sojourner, but unlike Rocky 7, which can steer only two of
its corner wheels?

Thanks,
Hao-yang Wang

(Sorry for this uninvited email. Please at least give me a quick
yes-or-no answer. Of course I will be the most grateful if you could also
briefly explain why. :-)



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Shrimp, Lobster & more...
 
Like Xanthra47 wrote, there's still room for the first shrimp that can steer :-) On this topic I have some ideas. I would use the four central wheels like tracks, blocking the inner ones in the turn (or slowing down them) while keeping the outers at (...) (24 years ago, 26-Feb-01, to lugnet.robotics)

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