Small body surface mobility with a limbed robot

Abstract

This paper describes the development of hard- ware, software, and algorithms for a prototype limbed robot capable of surface mobility on small bodies (asteroids and comets). It also describes the development of a laboratory testbed capable of simulating the micro-gravity and terrain of small bodies. A path following algorithm that uses visual odometry, robot body kinematics, and a variety of specialized gaits was used to demonstrate micro-gravity mobility with as few as 12 actuators. A mapping algorithm is also demonstrated that will enable path planning, limb trajectory planning, mobile grasping, and foot placement in future work. The results of this paper demonstrate that robust, stable, and precise small body mobility is feasible with a limbed robot.