Slider: On the Design and Modeling of a 2D Floating Satellite Platform

TL;DR

This paper introduces a frictionless, levitating 2D robotic platform for simulating satellite motion, including detailed design, mathematical modeling, validation through simulations, and open-source resources.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel 2D floating satellite emulation platform with comprehensive design, modeling, validation, and open-source sharing, advancing satellite simulation tools.

Findings

Successful simulation validation of the platform's dynamic motion

Open-source availability of design and testbed components

Demonstrated capabilities through a detailed test campaign

Abstract

In this article, a floating robotic emulation platform for a virtual demonstration of satellite motion in space is presented. The robotic platform design is characterized by its friction-less, levitating, yet planar motion over a hyper-smooth surface. The robotic platform, integrated with sensor and actuator units, is fully designed and manufactured from the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Team at Lule\aa\ University of Technology. A detailed design description along with the mathematical modeling describing the platform's dynamic motion is formulated. Finally, the proposed design is validated in extensive simulation studies, while the overall test bed experimental setup, as well as the vehicle hardware and software architectures, are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the entire design, including 3D printing CAD model and different testbed elements, is provided in an open-source repository and a test campaign is used to showcase its capabilities and illustrate its operations.