Towards Adaptive Wheel Geometry for Improved Rover Slippage Mitigation

A challenge for rover systems is identifying wheel slippage, especially on deformable terrain such as sand or regolith. There are several approaches used to identify slippage, but, there is still a lack of tools for rovers to reduce or mitigate its effects. This paper investigates adaptive wheel grouser lengths based on virtual slippage measurements. We conduct two sets of experiments, the first evaluating the effect of uniformly extending grousers and the second on extending a section of grousers. Results from these experiments demonstrate that the ability to adaptively change the length of grouser based on virtual slippage measurements can significantly reduce slippage, offering potential improvements in rover traction and mobility. This paper demonstrates the concept of adaptive wheel mechanisms and paves the way for future development into adaptive wheel mechanisms. Future work will focus on adaptive wheel design and control strategies for multi-wheel rovers and further testing in real-world scenarios.