EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF AN ULTRA-MOBILE VEHICLE FOR OFF-ROAD TRANSPORTATION

This research was concerned with the design and construction of an experimental six-legged vehicle for off-road transportation called the Adaptive Suspension Vehicle (ASV). Mechanical and electronic design of the ASV was driven by the following primary goals relating to vehicle performance: (1) the vehicle should be able to traverse a significant variety of terrain not negotiable by conventional wheeled or tracked machines; (2) the interior payload capacity should be at least 500 pounds; (3) the vehicle should exhibit a cruising speed of five mph and a top speed of eight mph in off-road locomotion; (4) the vehicle should carry its own prime mover and computer; (5) provision should be made for a human driver to steer the vehicle by interaction with the on-board computer at a supervisory control level; (6) the vehicle should possess a vision system with sufficient capability to permit automatic selection of footholds without human intervention; and (7) the overall size and weight of the ASV should be comparable to that of a small truck or light helicopter. The AAV is expected to exhibit higher speed, smaller size, and greater agility in comparison to the ASV, and will represent a further step toward the realization of a new class of military vehicles with entirely unique mobility characteristics.

• Corporate Authors:

  Ohio State University, Columbus

  Research Foundation, 1314 Kinnear Road
  Columbus, OH  United States  43212
• Authors:
  • McGhee, R B
  • Waldron, K J
• Publication Date: 1985-5

Media Info

• Pagination: 73 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: All terrain vehicles; Development; Military vehicles; Prototypes; Research; Vehicle performance
• Uncontrolled Terms: Research and development
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Research; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00457602
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 31 1986 12:00AM