Research Column

We, humans, are continuously trying to push our limitations by exploring uncharted territories in the universe. With the explosion of robotics applications, I believe we may expand our presence (remotely) to conduct research or explore extraterrestrial bodies, farm fields, deep oceans, mining fields and more. However, robots that use fewer computing resources and energy while predicting the optimal path in an uncertain or complex world are ideal for the aforementioned missions or tasks. My current research is centred on exploring the implications of this topic with Dr. Chinmay Desai and Dr. Pooja Shah. We are trying to develop a computationally efficient and lightweight inverse-kinematics algorithm that computes the bounds of a kinematic state based on the uncertainty in wheel-terrain contact. Instead of solving the whole kinematic rover-terrain settling, the essential principle of our new technique is to rapidly calculate the vehicle configuration bounds. Knowing the bounds of some important states, the suggested technique may efficiently generate a conservative assessment of the system-terrain clearance, rover attitude, and suspension angles in a closed form.