Tetrahedral Robotics for Space Exploration

A reconfigurable space filling robotic architecture has a wide range of possible applications. One of the more intriguing possibilities is mobility in very irregular and otherwise impassable terrain. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is developing the third generation of its addressable reconfigurabl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE aerospace and electronic systems magazine 2007-06, Vol.22 (6), p.22-30
Main Authors: Curtis, Steven, Brandt, Matthew, Bowers, Greg, Brown, Gary, Cheung, Cynthia, Cooperider, Caner, Desch, Mike, Desch, Noah, Dorband, John, Gregory, Kyle, Lee, Ken, Lunsford, Allan, Minetto, Fred, Truszkowski, Walt, Wesenberg, Richard, Vranish, John, Abrahantes, M., Clark, P., Capon, Tom, Weaker, Michael, Watson, Richard, Olivier, Philip, Rilee, Michael L.
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Accommodation
Architecture
Complement
Computational geometry
Filling
Mobile robots
NASA
Networks
Orbital robotics
Robot sensing systems
Robotics
Robots
Space exploration
Space technology
Subspace constraints
Testing
Wireless communication
Wireless networks
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Summary:A reconfigurable space filling robotic architecture has a wide range of possible applications. One of the more intriguing possibilities is mobility in very irregular and otherwise impassable terrain. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is developing the third generation of its addressable reconfigurable technology (ART) tetrahedral robotics architecture. An ART-based variable geometry truss consisting of 12 tetrahedral elements made from 26 smart struts on a wireless network has been developed. The primary goal of this development is the demonstration of a new kind of robotic mobility that can provide access and articulation that complement existing capabilities. An initial set of gaits and other behaviors are being tested, and accommodations for payloads such as sensor and telemetry packages are being studied. Herein, we describe our experience with the ART tetrahedral robotics architecture and the improvements implemented in the third generation of this technology. Applications of these robots to space exploration and the tradeoffs involved with this architecture will be discussed.
ISSN:0885-8985
1557-959X
DOI:10.1109/MAES.2007.384077