From space station to deep space: An overview of robots in space exploration

Abstract

Robots can replace astronauts in performing high-intensity physical labor in extreme space environments, thereby greatly enhancing human endurance in space exploration. Moreover, efficient and seamless interaction between robots and astronauts is a prerequisite for building a human-robot team that can reduce astronauts' cognitive workload. However, there is currently no systematic research integrated the classification of space robots and space robot capacity for human-robot interaction in the field. Hence, in order to evaluate whether team formations based on robot capabilities are suitable for the designed space exploration tasks before executing them, the current research conducts a scientific overview on robots that may be involved in space exploration. The search has been accomplished using the Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar by means of a set of key words specifically defined to investigate the space robotics. The overview presents a detailed description of the capacity of the robot, enabling the establishment of a harmonious relationship between task-oriented robot capabilities. This, in turn, offers invaluable direction for the selection of evaluation indicators in the context of human-robot interaction in future. Additionally, this study provides valuable references for the development of robotics in space exploration.