Using unmanned ground vehicle performance measurements as a unique method of terrain classification

Unmanned vehicles are used to serve as an extension of our ability in environments and situations that we will not or cannot operate in, therefore they must be highly capable and be able to cope with obstacles within their environment. For the Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) one of its biggest obstacles is terrain which can be unpredictable, unstructured and untraversable; which could cause a vehicle to become stuck and render it useless. It is proposed that a system with more knowledge about terrain and its properties will have greater success when operating in unforgiving conditions. This paper discusses the work done towards creating a system capable of sensing and measuring terrain using vehicle performance measurements; which will ultimately help to create a more terrain capable vehicle.