Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Varanwal, Aditya, Shah, Parin, Carrion, George, Ortenburg, Ashley, Ramirez-Gomez, Diego, Vermillion, Chris, Mazzoleni, Andre P.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.12443
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866913995784454144
author Varanwal, Aditya
Shah, Parin
Carrion, George
Ortenburg, Ashley
Ramirez-Gomez, Diego
Vermillion, Chris
Mazzoleni, Andre P.
author_facet Varanwal, Aditya
Shah, Parin
Carrion, George
Ortenburg, Ashley
Ramirez-Gomez, Diego
Vermillion, Chris
Mazzoleni, Andre P.
contents This paper presents the design, instrumentation, and experimental procedures used to test the Spherical Sailing Omnidirectional Rover (SSailOR) in a controlled wind tunnel environment. The SSailOR is a wind-powered autonomous rover. This concept is motivated by the growing need for persistent and sustainable robotic systems in applications such as planetary exploration, Arctic observation, and military surveillance. SSailOR uses wind propulsion via onboard sails to enable long-duration mobility with minimal energy consumption. The spherical design simplifies mechanical complexity while enabling omnidirectional movement. Experimental tests were conducted to validate dynamic models and assess the aerodynamic performance of the rover under various configurations and environmental conditions. As a result, this design requires a co-design approach. Details of the mechanical structure, sensor integration, electronics, data acquisition system, and test parameters are presented in this paper. In addition, key observations are made that are relevant to the design optimization for further development of the rover.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_12443
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Sspherical sailing omnidirectional rover (SSailOR): wind tunnel experimental setup and results
Varanwal, Aditya
Shah, Parin
Carrion, George
Ortenburg, Ashley
Ramirez-Gomez, Diego
Vermillion, Chris
Mazzoleni, Andre P.
Systems and Control
This paper presents the design, instrumentation, and experimental procedures used to test the Spherical Sailing Omnidirectional Rover (SSailOR) in a controlled wind tunnel environment. The SSailOR is a wind-powered autonomous rover. This concept is motivated by the growing need for persistent and sustainable robotic systems in applications such as planetary exploration, Arctic observation, and military surveillance. SSailOR uses wind propulsion via onboard sails to enable long-duration mobility with minimal energy consumption. The spherical design simplifies mechanical complexity while enabling omnidirectional movement. Experimental tests were conducted to validate dynamic models and assess the aerodynamic performance of the rover under various configurations and environmental conditions. As a result, this design requires a co-design approach. Details of the mechanical structure, sensor integration, electronics, data acquisition system, and test parameters are presented in this paper. In addition, key observations are made that are relevant to the design optimization for further development of the rover.
title Sspherical sailing omnidirectional rover (SSailOR): wind tunnel experimental setup and results
topic Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.12443