REAL-TIME MODEL FOR SIMULATION OF TRACKED VEHICLES

A massless track-wheel-terrain interaction model for the real-time simulation of tracked vehicles is suggested. The model is oriented for simulation of tracked vehicles on highly non-smooth urban and industrial terrains that include such elements like stairs, vertic- al obstacles etc. The suggested model provides realistic tracked vehicle dynamics and is used in the computer simulator of mobile tracked robots RobSim. The computer simulator is used in the training centers of Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation for training the operators of mobile robots. The main feature of such mobile robots is the remote control based on pic- tures from the onboard cameras. Such a remote control needs from the operators special abil- ities and skills that can be acquired first using the computer simulator. Basic principles of terrain handling for fast simulation and mathematical models of contact forces for the track- wheel-terrain interaction, as well as some features of the suggested model are considered.