Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!prls!philabs!wolfman!psg From: psg@wolfman.Philips.Com (Prabha Gopinath) Newsgroups: comp.robotics Subject: Re: CM Ambler Rover Message-ID: <96400@philabs.Philips.Com> Date: 23 May 90 13:54:53 GMT References: <3708@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> <95816@philabs.Philips.Com> <9349@pt.cs.cmu.edu> Sender: news@philabs.Philips.Com Reply-To: psg@wolfman.UUCP (Prabha Gopinath) Distribution: na Organization: Philips Laboratories, Briarcliff Manor, NY Lines: 36 In article <9349@pt.cs.cmu.edu> gerry@cive.ri.cmu.edu (Gerry Roston) writes: >In article Benjamin Chase writes: >>My first comment is to notice that both the ASV and the CM Ambler each >>weigh in at rougly 3 tons. You'd think that somebody could build >To answer Ben's question about the weight of the Ambler and its >suitability to a Mars mission, let me state that the Ambler is >designed as a proof of concept testbed and is NOT intended for >............ >or may not bear much resemblance to the Ambler. Likewise the ASV. It was designed, implemented, and tested purely as a proof-of-concept in reponse to a DARPA request. All the usual arguments in favor of legged locomotion, terrain independence (greater than wheeled vehicles), less terrain damage etc etc have been found to be true even with a 3 ton vehicle. So I guess one could say that proof by existence serves as proof-of-concept. >As to why the Ambler is soo husky, it has to do with the design >criteria, the required payload (computing, sensing, power) and >the ability to withstand certian degenerate situations (such as >muliple leg failures, failure of the underlying terrain, etc.) Once again I should emphasize that the ASV has been designed to do all this, and in fact does it now. Without appearing to pick on the Ambler I am still curious to know what NEW concepts are being addressed here. Or is the Ambler purely an engineering exercise? >gerry roston, field robotics center >robotics institute, carnegie mellon university prabha -- Prabha Gopinath (914)-945-6539 (m/c) Philips Research Laboratories email: psg@philabs.philips.com 345 Scarborough Road FAX: (914)-945-6375 Briarcliff Manor,NY 10510