Design and Development of Modular Limbs for Reconfigurable Robots on the Moon

TL;DR

This paper presents the design and development of modular, reconfigurable robot limbs called Moonbots for space exploration, demonstrating their mechanical, control, and functional versatility across nine configurations suitable for lunar tasks.

Contribution

It introduces a unified actuator-driven modular limb system with versatile configurations, advancing reconfigurable robotics for lunar exploration.

Findings

Successful demonstration of nine different configurations

High torque-to-speed ratio actuator supports diverse motions

Modules exhibit reliable control under various loads

Abstract

In this paper, we present the development of 4-DOF robot limbs, which we call Moonbots, designed to connect in various configurations with each other and wheel modules, enabling adaptation to different environments and tasks. These modular components are intended primarily for robotic systems in space exploration and construction on the Moon in our Moonshot project. Such modular robots add flexibility and versatility for space missions where resources are constrained. Each module is driven by a common actuator characterized by a high torque-to-speed ratio, supporting both precise control and dynamic motion when required. This unified actuator design simplifies development and maintenance across the different module types. The paper describes the hardware implementation, the mechanical design of the modules, and the overall software architecture used to control and coordinate them. Additionally, we evaluate the control performance of the actuator under various load conditions to characterize its suitability for modular robot applications. To demonstrate the adaptability of the system, we introduce nine functional configurations assembled from the same set of modules: 4DOF-limb, 8DOF-limb, vehicle, dragon, minimal, quadruped, cargo, cargo-minimal, and bike. These configurations reflect different locomotion strategies and task-specific behaviors, offering a practical foundation for further research in reconfigurable robotic systems.