Mobility evaluation of wheeled all-terrain robots

Standardized performance evaluation is uncommon in mobile robotics. Therefore, it is difficult to compare published results and estimate their value. This work aims at providing a basis for the evaluation and comparison of the mobility performance of wheeled, all-terrain robots with respect to terrainability. Precisely defined existing and novel metrics are proposed for this purpose. The utility of these metrics is shown by applying them in a comparison to a selection of rover suspension systems known from the literature. Appropriate models for evaluation of the performance are described as well as the validation of the metrics by means of experimental testing. The simulations reveal significant differences in performance between the rovers which is confirmed by the test results. The correlation of the performance in simulation and reality is highly satisfying and supports the applicability of the proposed metrics. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.