Design and Validation of a Multi-Arm Relocatable Manipulator for Space Applications

TL;DR

This paper details the computational design and validation of a three-limb space robot, MARM, using advanced planning and control methods, culminating in a validated hardware prototype for complex space tasks.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive design and validation pipeline for a multi-arm space robot, integrating multiple planning and control techniques for complex task execution.

Findings

Successful design validation through simulation

Preliminary hardware tests demonstrate feasibility

Effective planning methods for complex space tasks

Abstract

This work presents the computational design and validation of the Multi-Arm Relocatable Manipulator (MARM), a three-limb robot for space applications, with particular reference to the MIRROR (i.e., the Multi-arm Installation Robot for Readying ORUs and Reflectors) use-case scenario as proposed by the European Space Agency. A holistic computational design and validation pipeline is proposed, with the aim of comparing different limb designs, as well as ensuring that valid limb candidates enable MARM to perform the complex loco-manipulation tasks required. Motivated by the task complexity in terms of kinematic reachability, (self)-collision avoidance, contact wrench limits, and motor torque limits affecting Earth experiments, this work leverages on multiple state-of-art planning and control approaches to aid the robot design and validation. These include sampling-based planning on manifolds, non-linear trajectory optimization, and quadratic programs for inverse dynamics computations with constraints. Finally, we present the attained MARM design and conduct preliminary tests for hardware validation through a set of lab experiments.