Robotic system for assembly and maintenance of lightweight reconfigurable structures
Robotics Automation and Control
Robotic system for assembly and maintenance of lightweight reconfigurable structures (TOP2-321)
Automated Reconfigurable Mission Adaptive Digital Assembly Systems (ARMADAS) - Hinged, alternating anchor-motion walking/crawling device for autonomous building with ultra-light, strong, and self-reprogrammable mechanical metamaterials
Overview
Missions to the moon and other planets will require large-scale infrastructure that would benefit from autonomous assembly by robots without on-site human intervention. Modular and reconfigurable structures, such as those built from lattice-based building blocks, are reusable and easy to manufacture. Furthermore, reconfigurable systems have the potential to outperform traditional, fixed infrastructure in applications that require high levels of flexibility in addition to structural strength and rigidity. NASA Ames Research Center has developed a novel and efficient mobile bipedal robot system to construct low-mass, high precision, and large-scale infrastructure. The mobile bipedal robot system is configured to carry, transfer, and place lattice-based modular unit cells, called voxels, to form a three-dimensional lattice structure. A team of mobile bipedal robots can autonomously unpack and assemble unit cells into functioning structures and systems. The technology provides an integrated system that enables large-scale surface and in-space structural assembly.
The Technology
To enable the goal of autonomous assembly of high performing structures, a robot system must be able to travel across a lattice structure in all dimensions, transport and align a unit cell module to the correct location and fasten the module to the existing structure. In this system, a team of multiple mobile bipedal robots work together to carry, transfer, and place 3D-lattice modules (e.g., cuboctahedron voxels) to form a 3D lattice structure. The team of mobile bipedal robots autonomously provide transportation, placement, unpacking, and assembly of voxel modules into functional structures and systems. As the team of mobile bipedal robots live and locomote on the 3D-lattice structure, they monitor health and performance, enabling repair and reconfiguration when needed. The mobile bipedal robots work together in different roles, for example, one as a cargo transport robot and the other as a crane robot. The cargo transport robot and the crane robot work together to move the voxels from one location to another. Each robot includes at least one electronic control module that receives commands from another robot or a central control system. A central control system implements a plan to control the motion sequences of the robots to maximize efficiency and to optimize the work required to completely assemble a structure. The plan is pre-computed or computed during implementation by the central control system or the robots themselves, according to algorithms that utilize the regularity of the lattice structure to simplify path planning, align robotic motions with minimal feedback, and minimize the number of the degrees of freedom required for the robots to locomote across and throughout the 3D-lattice structure and perform structural assembly.


Benefits
- Uses lightweight materials and components, reducing launch volume on space missions
- Builds structures that are scalable, precise, and reconfigurable
- Autonomous assembly of infrastructure using task-specific robots and discrete algorithms
- Enables voxel repair with mobile bipedal robots, reducing need to store and obtain spare parts
- Voxels structures are revisable by mobile bipedal robots
- Teams of mobile bipedal robots allows the prompt and efficient construction, assembly, and servicing of physical systems and infrastructure
Applications
- Adaptive infrastructure
- Space exploration
- Disaster response
- Robot Charging Station
- Self-powering Rail System
- Wall (shelter/blast/berm)
- Various space applications may include - Large aperture Rx/Tx instrumentation - Mega solar arrays - Nuclear propulsion - Star shades - Spacecraft shielding -Orbital infrastructure
- Terrestrial applications may include - Solar/ Communication Tower w/ Adaptive Footing (no surface prep) - Power infrastructure - Bridges and roads - Habitats - Garages -Landing pads - Transport infrastructure - Antennas - Scientific instrumentation
Technology Details
Robotics Automation and Control
TOP2-321
ARC-18774-1
ARC-18937-1
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/game_changing_development/projects/armadas
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10161263
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.adi2746
https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TOP2-310
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