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.
Effati M*, Skonieczny K, Balkcom D. (2024). Energy-Optimal Trajectories for Skid-Steer Rovers. International Journal of Robotics Research. 43(2): 171-202.
Fiset J*, Effati M*, Skonieczny K. (2023). Power and Energy Consumption of Skid-Steer Rovers Turning on Loose Soil. Journal of Field Robotics. 40(2): 193-214.
Effati M*, Skonieczny K. (2023). Systematic solution for optimally energy-efficient turning radius for wheeled skid-steer rovers. Robotics and Autonomous Systems. 159: 104306.
Effati M*, Fiset J*, Skonieczny K. (2020). Considering Slip-Track for Energy-Efficient Paths of Skid-Steer Rovers. Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems.
Effati M*, Skonieczny K. (2019). Optimal traction forces for four-wheel rovers on rough terrain. IEEE Canadian Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering. 42(4): 215-224.
Effati M*, Skonieczny K, Freiman T*, Balkcom D. (2022). An Equivalent Time-Optimal Problem to Find Energy-Optimal Paths for Skid-Steer Rovers. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). Kyoto, Japan.
Effati M*, Fiset J*, Skonieczny K. (2021). Experimental Validation of Energy-Optimal Turning Radii for Skid-Steer Rovers. 17th International Symposium on Experimental Robotics. Hybrid.
Fiset J*, Effati M*, Skonieczny K. (2019). Effects of Turning Radius on Skid-Steered Wheeled Robot Power Consumption on Loose Soil. Field and Service Robotics. Tokyo, Japan.
Concordia University's Aerospace Robotics Lab
Research interests include: Space robotics, Planetary rovers, Robot mobility, Vehicle-terrain interactions, Advanced 3D printing techniques, Robotics excavation & construction, Reduced gravity experimentation, Computer vision and machine learning for robotics applications.
