We are researching how to quantify a vehicle's ability to quickly change directions without a significant loss in speed. We would like to relate these metrics to a vehicle's design.
Agile Non-holonomic Vehicles with Variable Internal Inertial Properties - This research focuses on creating a novel class of highly agile UGVs capable of controlling their internal mass and inertial properties during locomotion. The UGVs will be able to longitudinally adjust their center of mass location. This will allow for direct control of the normal force acting on the front and rear wheels. Controlling this force will give the UGV the ability to execute dynamic maneuvers including sharp turns and controlled sliding, stabilize itself to recover from unwanted sideslip, and traverse a larger set of obstacles (by unloading the suspension when the wheels cross the hazard).
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Omnidirectional Vehicles for Rough Terrain - We are investigating mechanical design and control algorithms for omnidirectional vehicles capable of operating in real-world environments. Typical omnidirectional vehicle designs are only suitable for clean, smooth surfaces due to their use of specialized wheels. In contrast, our design is based on the ''active split offset castor'. This design utilizes standard wheels, which gives it a high load carrying capacity and robustness to dirt and debris. It also has a high kinematic isotropy and low scrubbing torque when compared to other omnidirectional vehicle designs that employ conventional wheels.
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