Simulation model of mobile robot movement on complex ground

Cover Page


Cite item

Full Text

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Typically, mobile robots shall have high maneuverability, requiring additional drives that allow for changing the propulsion unit geometry and complex motion control systems. Existing software used to simulate the movement of rigid body systems do not always allow for the accurate description of the propulsion unit (wheels) interaction with the complex ground, challenging the development of advanced control algorithms.

AIM: To develop a movement simulation for mobile robots, combining the advanced software for mathematical modeling of rigid body system movement and an algorithm to detect the contact of wheels with the ground relief based on a modified GJK algorithm.

METHODS: The approach proposed to solve the problem of propulsion unit contact with track irregularities is based on the GJK algorithm used to search for wheel intersections with the ground relief. The output of the algorithm allowed to determine contact forces and moments that describe the tire–ground interaction based on its elastic damping and traction properties.

RESULTS: The authors propose a mathematical model of the wheel interaction with uneven ground for multiple contact points. The model is based on a modified GJK algorithm and allows to determine contact points and interaction forces when simulating the mobile robot movement at a speed close to real time. The paper presents an assessment of the model’s effectiveness and its suitability for developing automatic movement control algorithms for mobile robots.

CONCLUSION: The developed model allows to study efficiently the mobile robot movement when negotiating large obstacles and uneven grounds with multiple contact points of the propulsion unit with the ground. The study confirms that the model is suitable for and may be used in mathematical simulation models to design motion control laws for a mobile robot.

About the authors

Oleg P. Goidin

Bauman Moscow State Technical University

Email: goidin@vniia.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0009-9655-1870
SPIN-code: 6891-2670

Head of the Robotics and Emergency Response Center

Russian Federation, Moscow

Boris B. Kositsyn

Bauman Moscow State Technical University

Email: kositsyn_b@bmstu.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2131-2738
SPIN-code: 2005-7528

Dr. Sci. (Engineering), assistant professor, Professor of the Wheeled Vehicles Department

Russian Federation, Moscow

Anton A. Stadukhin

All-Russia Research Institute of Automatics named after N.L. Dukhov

Author for correspondence.
Email: ant.m@bmstu.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1414-3435
SPIN-code: 7669-7133

Dr. Sci. (Engineering), assistant professor, Professor of the Multipurpose Tracked Vehicles and Mobile Robots Department

Russian Federation, Moscow

References

  1. Gilbert EG, Johnson DW, Keerthi SS. A fast procedure for computing the distance between complex objects in three-dimensional space. IEEE Journal on Robotics and Automation. April 1988;4(2):193–203. doi: 10.1109/56.2083
  2. Gazebo Open Source Libraries. Accessed: 09.04.2025. Available from: https://gazebosim.org/home
  3. Wu D, Yu Z, Adili A, Zhao F. A Self-Collision Detection Algorithm of a Dual-Manipulator System Based on GJK and Deep Learning. Sensors. 2023;(23). doi: 10.3390/s23010523 EDN: HZVVUE
  4. Stadukhin AA. Modeling the Interaction of a Mobile Robot and a Support Base Using Polyhedron Intersection Algorithms. Engineering Journal: Science and Innovation. 2016;12(60). (In Russ.) doi: 10.18698/2308-6033-2016-12-1561 EDN: XEQDXF
  5. Unity Documentation. Introduction to Primitive Collider Shapes. Accessed: 09.04.2025. Available from: https://docs.unity3d.com/6000.0/Documentation/Manual/primitive-colliders-introduction.html
  6. MathWorks. Simscape Multibody. Accessed: 09.04.2025. Available from: https://ww2.mathworks.cn/en/products/simscape-multibody.html
  7. Winter. GJK: Collision Detection Algorithm in 2D/3D. Accessed: 09.04.2025. Available from: https://winter.dev/articles/gjk-algorithm
  8. Rozhdestvensky YuL, Mashkov KYu. On the Formation of Reactions During the Rolling of an Elastic Wheel on a Non-Deformable Base. Proceedings of the Moscow Higher Technical School. 1982(390):56–64. (In Russ.)
  9. Marokhin S. Prediction of Mobility Characteristics of a Special-Purpose Vehicle Equipped with Active Safety Systems. [dissertation] Moscow; 2005. (In Russ.) EDN: NNHRUT
  10. Gorelov VA, Evseev KB, Chudakov OI, Balkovsky KS. Evaluation of Curvilinear Motion Parameters of a Vehicle Train Using Simulation Modeling. News of the Moscow State Technical University “MAMI”. 2020(4(46)):2–16. (In Russ.) doi: 10.31992/2074-0530-2020-46-4-2-15 EDN: ADNOQT
  11. Gazizullin RL. Development of a Power Distribution Control Law for a Wheeled Vehicle’s Propulsion System When Moving on a Flat, Dense Support Surface. [dissertation] Moscow; 2023. (In Russ.) EDN: NYKGXQ
  12. Afanasyev BA, Zheglov LF, Zuzov VN, et al. Design of All-Wheel Drive Wheeled Vehicles: Textbook for Universities: In 3 Vol. Vol. 2. Moscow: MGTU im NE Baumana; 2008. (In Russ.) EDN: YNGUAB
  13. Platonov VF, Leinashvili GR. Tracked and Wheeled Transport and Traction Vehicles. Moscow: Mashinostroenie; 1986. (In Russ.)
  14. Goidin OP, Kositsyn BB, Stadukhin AA. Integrated Motion Control Law for an Articulated Wheeled Mobile Robot. In: Advanced Systems and Control Problems: Proceedings of the XX Anniversary All-Russian Scientific-Practical Conference. Donbai, Karachay-Cherkess Republic. Donbai; 2025:241–245. (In Russ.)

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download
2. Fig. 1. Diagram for determining the wheel-ground contact point.

Download (243KB)
Indexing metadata
3. Fig. 2. Flow chart of the algorithm used to search intersections or distances between the wheel center and the convex polyhedron of the ground.

Download (283KB)
Indexing metadata
4. Fig. 3. Determining the distance between a point and a polyhedron: 1, polyhedron; 2, point.

Download (95KB)
Indexing metadata
5. Fig. 4. Determining the distance between a point and a polyhedron (Minkowski space): а, step 1 (point); b, step 2 (segment); c, step 3 (segment); d, step 4 (triangle).

Download (360KB)
Indexing metadata
6. Fig. 5. Determining the distance between a point and a polyhedron: 1, polyhedron; 2, point; 3, vector of the distance between the bodies.

Download (90KB)
Indexing metadata
7. Fig. 6. Diagram for determining the parameters of wheel–ground interaction.

Download (275KB)
Indexing metadata
8. Fig. 7. Interface of the mobile robot movement model.

Download (267KB)
Indexing metadata
9. Fig. 8. Dimensions and degrees of freedom of the mobile robot.

Download (85KB)
Indexing metadata
10. Fig. 9. Typical positions of the mobile robot overcoming a ledge.

Download (46KB)
Indexing metadata
11. Fig. 10. Trajectory of left-hand wheels of the mobile robot overcoming a ledge.

Download (140KB)
Indexing metadata
12. Fig. 11. Longitudinal section pitches at overcoming a ledge.

Download (101KB)
Indexing metadata

Copyright (c) 2025 Eco-Vector

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Согласие на обработку персональных данных

 

Используя сайт https://journals.rcsi.science, я (далее – «Пользователь» или «Субъект персональных данных») даю согласие на обработку персональных данных на этом сайте (текст Согласия) и на обработку персональных данных с помощью сервиса «Яндекс.Метрика» (текст Согласия).