Abstract
Legged rovers offer a potentially superior alternative to wheeled locomotion for the exploration of challenging planetary terrains. Compared with a wheeled vehicle, a walking rover will have improved agility, slope climbing and rough terrain capability. However, when it comes to the analysis of the interaction with deformable terrain, surprisingly little study has been made of the terramechanics applicable to the type of micro - legged vehicle that might be deployed on a future mission. This paper describes progress towards a robust mobility model of legged vehicle performance on sands and other deformable terrains, applicable to a diverse range of vehicle and soil combinations. Software tools are described which aid analysis of terrain interaction, assist with optimisation of the vehicle design, and generate vehicle controller inputs enabling more reliable go / no go decisions to be made, optimisation of path planning, and management of vehicle gait and foot positioning.