Integrated mechatronics solution to maximise tractability and efficiency of wheeled vehicles

The objective of this work is to apply mechatronics to increase the stability, tractability and efficiency of wheeled vehicles operating on steep slopes. The essential feature of this work is that both of the two basic methods of steering a vehicle are used so that they both tend to produce the same centre of curvature for the path of the vehicle. This deliberate redundancy means that the inevitable failure of one steering system is prevented by both systems acting in unison. This "steer and drive by wire" system was made feasible due the smart on-board wheel angles and wheel speed control system presented in this paper.