Evolutionary Optimization of Gait Stability for Three Spoke Wheg Rovers via Discrete Element Method Üç Parçali Çarkbacak Gezginler Için Ayrik Elemanlar Yöntemi ile Yürüyüş Kararliliǧinin Evrimsel Optimizasyonu
34th Signal Processing and Communications Applications Conference, SIU 2026, İstanbul, Turkey, 7 - 10 July 2026, (Full Text)
- Publication Type: Conference Paper / Full Text
- Doi Number: 10.1109/siu71813.2026.11636660
- City: İstanbul
- Country: Turkey
- Keywords: differential evolution algorithm, discrete element method, gait optimization, lunar rover, multi-body dynamics
- Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
This paper presents an evolutionary approach to enhance the gait stability and mobility efficiency of quadrupedal micro-rovers on granular lunar terrains. Standard heuristic fixed gait phases often cause instabilities (Z-hop, roll, pitch, and yaw) due to complex granular soil mechanics. In this study, the phase offset defining a single leg's ground contact and the crossover speed coefficient are optimized on a level lunar soil analog using the Differential Evolution algorithm. To ensure physical accuracy, a Multi-Body Dynamics (MBD) and Discrete Element Method (DEM) co-simulation framework is developed. The terrain is modeled with asymmetric multi-sphere particles to capture realistic interlocking behavior. The optimization algorithm systematically identifies configurations that minimize orientational instabilities while maximizing forward distance, achieving significantly more stable mobility than standard strategies.