nivek@rover.ri.cmu.edu (Kevin Dowling) (01/22/91)
The definitive study of tracks and locomotion is Bekker's Land Locomotion. Bekker did an exhaustive series of tests in the mid-60's on modeling tracks and wheels for traction over a wide variety of soil types and as a function of many variables. He did this work for the Army at, I believe, the Tank Command in MI. Bekker also had another book on the same subject. Geometry of differential steer is pretty well understood. You might want to look at Pat Muir's PHD thesis "Kinematic Modeling of Mobile Robots" [CMU] for a good discussion of wheeled robot control. nivek