An Adaptive Suspension System for Planetary Rovers

This paper presents an innovative suspension system with variable wheel camber to improve mobility of robots on rough-terrain. The system is optimized for planetary rovers that employ conventional rocker-type suspensions. The main advantage of the proposed system is that each wheel keeps an upright posture as the suspension system adapts to terrain unevenness, maximizing tractive and climbing performance, and reducing energy consumption. The synthesis of the variable camber mechanism is described along with details of the mechanical design, showing the feasibility of this solution.