Scaling Climbing Collaborative Mobile Manipulators for Outfitting a Tall Lunar Tower and Truss Structures

Abstract

In-space and planetary truss structures like the Tall Lunar Tower (TLT) can greatly benefit from truss climbing collaborative mobile manipulators (C2M2) for outfitting and other servicing tasks. Mobile robotic systems traversing truss structures will allow for improved access to the structure for placing equipment and routing cables after the structure has been assembled. The C2M2 is designed to provide access to the structure through collaborative mobile robotics. A series of gaits are developed allowing the robot to reach any point on the structure and validate the capabilities of the joint configuration. Scaling the system during the design phase is a necessary process, given the wide range of trusses in development and payloads which are required for outfitting. The variable features of the system are the actuators and the length of the links connecting the two degrees of freedom (DOF) modules. A scaling method was developed for determining the range of usable link lengths for a selected actuator in a design environment. The focus of the design is on a six-DOF robot arranged with two DOF at each end and at the center. Two grippers are mounted at each end for grappling on the truss and holding cargo.