Terrain evaluation and route designation based on noisy rangefinder data

This paper discusses an approach to terrain evaluation and route designation for an autonomous Mars rover. The evaluation procedure simulates movement of the rover over a terrain model estimated from noisy range readings. During the simulated movement a potential path is analyzed for adverse gradients and minimum vehicle body clearance which could inhibit the rover's progress. The route designation scheme employs dynamic programming to select the optimal path based on the evaluation results.