MapleSim's Innovative Hardware-in-the-Loop Real-Time Simulation for Planetary Rovers
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Applicable Industries
- Electrical Grids
- Renewable Energy
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Experimentation Automation
- Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing
Services
- System Integration
- Testing & Certification
About The Customer
The customer in this case study is the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), a government agency responsible for all of Canada's civil space-related activities including Canada's contribution to international space programs and partnerships. The CSA aims to advance the knowledge of space through science and to ensure that space science and technology provide social and economic benefits for Canadians. The CSA is a sophisticated customer with a deep understanding of space technology and the challenges associated with designing and testing rover prototypes. They were looking for a solution that could reduce the overall development time and allow for component testing under dangerous scenarios without the risk of damaging a full rover prototype.
The Challenge
In the space industry, the design, building, and testing of rover prototypes is a costly and time-consuming process. System testing typically does not occur until late in the design/testing process, leading to a long development time. The challenge was to find a way to test components within a simulation loop before a full rover prototype is available. This would create a virtual testing environment for the component under test, tricking it into thinking it is operating within a full prototype. The goal was to progressively add hardware components to the simulation loop as they become available, allowing system testing to take place even without all the hardware components, thereby bridging the gap between the design and testing phases.
The Solution
Dr. Amir Khajepour and his team at the University of Waterloo, in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Maplesoft, developed a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test platform for solar-powered planetary rovers using MapleSim, a modeling and simulation tool. This platform allows for the simulation of scenarios that are hard to replicate in a lab setup, such as the Martian environment, or components that are not yet available. The MapleSim modeling environment was also used to automatically generate the kinematic equations of the rover, forming the basis for other tasks in the project such as HIL simulations, path planning, and power optimization. A library of rover components was developed within MapleSim and imported within LabView Real-Time where the HIL program and GUI of the simulations were developed.
Operational Impact
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