The Prediction Method and Application of Off-Road Mobility for Ground Vehicles: A Review

Abstract

With the rapid advancement of technologies related to unmanned ground systems, ground vehicles are being widely deployed across various domains. However, when operating in complex, soft terrain environments, the low bearing capacity of such terrains poses a significant challenge to vehicle mobility. This paper presents a comprehensive review of mobility prediction methods for ground vehicles in off-road environments. We begin by discussing the concept of vehicle mobility, followed by a systematic and thorough summary of the primary prediction methods, including empirical, semi-empirical, numerical simulation, and machine learning approaches. The strengths and weaknesses of these methods are compared and analyzed in detail. Subsequently, we explore the application scenarios of mobility prediction in military operations, subsea work, planetary exploration, and agricultural activities. Finally, we address several existing challenges in current mobility prediction methods and propose exploratory research directions focusing on key technologies and applications, such as real-time mobility prediction, terrain perception, path planning on deformable terrain, and autonomous mobility prediction for unmanned systems. These insights aim to provide valuable reference points for the future development of vehicle mobility prediction methods.

Keywords

• soil terrain
• terramechanics
• mobility prediction
• off-road
• numerical simulation