Canadian Mobile Robotics: The ExoMars Mission and Beyond
- Paper number
IAC-06-A3.3.07
- Author
Mr. Ryan McCoubrey, MDA, Canada
- Coauthor
Ms. Gita Ravindran, MDA, Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. Howard Jones, MDA, Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. Robert Carr, MDA, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Nadeem Ghafoor, MDA, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Christian Sallaberger, MDA, Canada
- Year
2006
- Abstract
The ExoMars Rover is a key element of the ExoMars mission, the first flagship mission of the Aurora Programme initiated by the European Space Agency. The aim of the programme is to characterize the Mars biological environment in preparation for future robotic and human exploration missions. Planned for launch in 2011, the ExoMars Rover will be capable of operating autonomously, traveling several kilometers over rocky Martian terrain with minimal aid of human operators. In a Phase A study performed for ESA, MDA led an international industrial team to develop an optimized conceptual design of the Rover. To secure a visible role for Canadian industry in the future phases of ESA’s ExoMars programme, MDA has been conducting a number of internal research and development projects, two of which will be discussed in this paper. The Rover Chassis Prototype/Rover Chassis Analysis and Simulation Tool project was undertaken by MDA in early 2005 to facilitate design optimization of a rover mobility chassis. The project involves the development of both an engineering simulation tool modelling wheel-soil interaction and multi-body dynamics and a full-scale prototype representation of the MDA ExoMars rover chassis. Techniques for visual motion estimation and terrain modelling are also being developed to increase the autonomy of vehicles, such as the ExoMars Rover, travelling great distances with limited human-in-the-loop control. Navigation techniques developed at MDA employ stereo cameras to build a database of visual landmarks both nearby and on the horizon to localize a rover on Mars. Combining this information with photo-realistic 3-D models created from stereo image sequences, results in efficient models requiring very little mass storage and transmission bandwidth compared to the original images, making them ideal for sending back to Earth-based operators. Future work planned in the area involves fusing the research projects together and conducting a fully autonomous, long distance traverse through Mars relevant terrain. In addition to the applicability of these projects to the ExoMars rover flight program, the technology development positions Canada strongly for significant participation in future international space exploration missions. The technologies are also transferable to a number of terrestrial applications. For example, the terrain modelling technology has already been used in a terrestrial mining application, providing photorealistic rendering of underground work faces to be used for grade control, geological mapping and surveying.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-A3.3.07.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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