Energy-efficient skid-steer rover control

Skid-steer rovers maneuver by commanding left and right wheels at different speeds, like a tank. This approach is simple and robust, but can consume considerable power on loose soil due to wheels plowing or dragging laterally through soil. We have developed energy-optimal trajectories for skid-steer rovers that use wider arcs tuned to avoid high instantaneous power consumption without excessively extending overall path length. We applied advanced optimal control theory to minimize energy consumption for skid-steer rovers operating on hard terrain (such as bedrock), and we have conducted multiple field testing campaigns to further adapt these results to operations on loose terrain.