Model-Based Analysis of the Accuracy of Tracking Control and Energy Efficiency of a Six-Wheeled Skid-Steered Robot

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article "Model-based analysis of the accuracy of tracking control and energy efficiency of a six-wheeled skid-steered robot" is a well-written and informative paper. The authors provide a detailed analysis of the accuracy of tracking control and energy efficiency of a six-wheeled skid-steered robot. The paper is well-organized and the results are presented in a clear and concise manner.

The authors use a model-based approach to analyze the robot's performance. This approach allows them to take into account the effects of wheel slip, which is an important factor in the performance of skid-steered robots. The authors also design and evaluate two different control strategies: a wheels-only controller and a pose controller.

The simulation results show that the pose controller outperforms the wheels-only controller in terms of tracking accuracy. The pose controller is able to reduce the tracking errors by a significant amount, even in the presence of wheel slip. However, the wheels-only controller is more energy efficient than the pose controller.

Overall, the paper provides a valuable contribution to the field of mobile robotics. The authors' analysis provides insights into the factors that affect the performance of skid-steered robots, and their control strategies can be used to improve the performance of these robots.

Strengths

The paper is well-written and informative.

The authors provide a detailed analysis of the accuracy of tracking control and energy efficiency of a six-wheeled skid-steered robot.

The paper is well-organized and the results are presented in a clear and concise manner.

Weaknesses

The paper could be improved by including a more detailed discussion of the limitations of the model and the control strategies.

The paper could also be improved by including a comparison of the proposed control strategies to other existing control strategies.

 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper presents a new model for tracking control of a six-wheeled skid-steered robot. The author's effort in accounting for wheel interaction with the ground is appreciated. The use of a tire model, specifically Kiencke, is not common in robotics but is a major concern in vehicles. The manuscript is of high quality. However, I suggest some improvements before accepting it for publication.

1. The introduction and state of the art sections should be presented together. Section 3.1 is introduced very late. There is no discussion about the effect of noise, actuator faults or model uncertainties on the closed-loop behavior of the system and the need of robust control techniques (maybe as part of a future work) to deal with these issues. You can check robust tracking control references such as https://doi.org/10.1109/TITS.2023.3321415

2. I believe that the order of the vector product in eq. 5 is wrong. Additionally, please represent R_r_ai in Figure 1.

3. In line 269, it is assumed that L_f = L_b = L. Is it a strong assumption? It is said that the general solution, where L_f ≠ L_b is more complex, however, it is still frequently found in vehicle research papers. Please provide a reason that supports your assumption.

4. The Kiencke tire model is less common than other tire models such as Pacejka, LuGre, or Burckhardt. This should be emphasized as part of your contribution. Please provide references and justification for choosing this model.

5. Regarding the simulation studies, please provide further details abou the simulation frequency, control frequency and Simulink solver used.

Minor concerns

1. I suggest using other nomenclature for naming the sets. R is used for the real numbers set.

2. Please provide numerical references to equations and figures. Avoid the use of sentences such as “The above equation”.

3. Due to the large amount of terms in this paper, I suggest including a nomenclature list.

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

N/A

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The author has made significant updates to the manuscript. I suggest to accept the paper in its present form.