Design of a Sensor-Supported Mobile Working Platform for Rough Terrain

New technologies and large financial investments will be required in the near future for the automation of forestry and construction work in an European mountainous regions, where hazardous work conditions strongly limit the access for conventional equipment. This paper presents the design of the robo TRAC, a man driven sensor- supported mobile platform with on- board manipulator and intelligent tactile capabilities for mobility in rough terrain. The vehicle is based on a combined wheeled and legged configuration with a favourable weight to load ratio. The design of the light weight hydraulically powered front legs with three degree of freedom is presented. For supporting the operator in safely handling the complex walking apparatus a behaviour- based control system is proposed, which provides a flexible framework for the implementation of different degrees of system autonomy. For interactive steering, the operator is provided with on-line static stability feedback in form of an equivalent reactive force, while a display is available for off-line planning of stable motions.