Counterbalanced Transportation: It is a Design that will Attempt to Keep the Load Stable No Matter the Inclination of the Terrain
Marvin Blackman, Islam Shahidul, Joseph Kamel · 2020
Abstract Counterbalanced TransportationRovers are important vehicles in today’s solar system exploration. Most of the rover designshave been developed for the Mars and Moon surfaces in order to understand the geologicalhistory of the soil and rocks. Exploration operations need high-speed and long- distance travel inshort mission periods because of environmental effects, climate and communication restrictions.The goal of project “Counterbalanced Transportation (CB Trans)” is to build a rover andprogram it to perform multiple tasks. The research will involve the implementation of threemajor engineering disciplines: Mechanical, Electrical and Computer Engineering. The keyconcept of this project will consist of elements from Mechatronic Engineering. Phase oneinvolves the mechanical portion, and phase two will consist of electrical installations andcomputer software development such as CATIA and C++ to develop an executable program tonavigate and control the vehicle.The main objective of this project is to design a robotic cart which will transport heavy weightthrough a complex terrain without toppling. This research will provide an efficient weight-and-balance system that will counteract with the incline and decline of a plane. A highly suspendedmodel will easily cross the small obstacles and an adjacent sensor will help to avoid the largerobstacles. The new weight-and-balance mechanism will not only provide more stability to therover but it will also empower it to carry the load safely from one point to another.Balance is one of the essential aspects of this project. To enable more acceleration with a steadyload, the back wheels will be provided with a low speed motor. The new weight-and-balancesystem will be adequate for increasing precision on the rover’s maneuvering. The container tocarry a load will be suspended on a dual-swivel system which will allow the enclosed platform tocounteract with the level of incline and decline. This improvement will increase the reliability ofthe structure on field operations and also enable a stable exploration of the terrain. It will also beable to clear multiple types of obstructions. This flexible mobility system will allow the wheelsto conform to obstacles like rocks, strengthening their grip and maximizing their ability to clear avariety of obstacles.The Rover will separate itself from basic robots with its trafficability and with its rare loadcarrying capabilities. It will demonstrate its potential based on the task of delivering hazardouschemicals where a spill can prove deadly.