Trajectory Control of a Four-Wheel Skid-Steering Vehicle over Soft Terrain using a Physical Interaction Model

A model-based control for fast autonomous four-wheel mobile robots on soft soils is developed. This control strategy takes into account slip and skid effects to extend the mobility over planar granular soils. Each wheel is independently actuated by an electric motor. The overall objective is to follow a path roughly at relatively high speed. Some results obtained in dynamic simulation are presented.