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Experimental Methods for Mobility and Surface Operations of Microgravity Robots

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2016 International Symposium on Experimental Robotics (ISER 2016)

Part of the book series: Springer Proceedings in Advanced Robotics ((SPAR,volume 1))

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Abstract

We propose an experimental method for studying mobility and surface operations of microgravity robots on zero-gravity parabolic flights—a test bed traditionally used for experiments requiring strictly zero gravity. By strategically exploiting turbulence-induced “gravity fluctuations,” our technique enables a new experimental approach for testing surface interactions of robotic systems in micro- to milli-gravity environments. This strategy is used to evaluate the performance of internally-actuated hopping rovers designed for controlled surface mobility on small Solar System bodies. In experiments, these rovers demonstrated a range of maneuvers on various surfaces, including both rigid and granular. Results are compared with analytical predictions and numerical simulations, yielding new insights into the dynamics and control of hopping rovers.

This research was carried out in part at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It was funded by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts and Flight Opportunities programs. Government sponsorship acknowledged. The authors wish thank J. Castillo-Rogez (JPL), A. Frick (JPL), J. Hoffman (MIT), E. Carey (JPL), D. Delrosso (JSC), and R. Roe (JSC) for their insightful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA

    Benjamin Hockman & Marco Pavone

  2. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91109, USA

    Robert G. Reid & Issa A. D. Nesnas

Authors
  1. Benjamin Hockman
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  2. Robert G. Reid
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  3. Issa A. D. Nesnas
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  4. Marco Pavone
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Benjamin Hockman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Gra Sch of Info Sci&Tech,Dept of MechInf, The University of Tokyo Gra Sch of Info Sci&Tech,Dept of MechInf, Tokyo, Japan

    Dana Kulić

  2. Computer Science Department, Stanford University Computer Science Department, Stanford, California, USA

    Yoshihiko Nakamura

  3. Department of Electrical & Computer Engg, University of Waterloo Department of Electrical & Computer Engg, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    Oussama Khatib

  4. Department of Mechanical Systems Enginee, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Tech Department of Mechanical Systems Enginee, Tokyo, Japan

    Gentiane Venture

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Hockman, B., Reid, R.G., Nesnas, I.A.D., Pavone, M. (2017). Experimental Methods for Mobility and Surface Operations of Microgravity Robots. In: Kulić, D., Nakamura, Y., Khatib, O., Venture, G. (eds) 2016 International Symposium on Experimental Robotics. ISER 2016. Springer Proceedings in Advanced Robotics, vol 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50115-4_65

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50115-4_65

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-50114-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-50115-4

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