Development of Lightweight Rover that can be Transported by Multi-copter and Report of Ecological Research on Nishinoshima

In Japan, there are islands such as Nishinoshima that cannot be accessed due to volcanic activity. There is academic interest in how ecosystems recover after major eruptions. Because the topography and geology are unknown, and there are still dangers from fumarole and volcanic gas, a rover is needed to take the place of humans and land on land. Authors have developed a new rover that is lightweight enough to be transported by multicopter, capable of taking images of the site, removing obstacles, and collecting samples. In this paper, we report the configuration of the proposed vehicle, system configuration for remote control, mechanical design, and results of field experiments.