Intelligent Space Assembly Robot (ISAR)

摘要

On orbit assembly of spacecraft has historically involved human intensive robotic operations. To facilitate this construction process the U.S. Naval Academy is augmenting its current robotic arm capabilities with the Intelligent Space Assembly Robot (ISAR) program. This research is aimed to identify key requirements and select a 3D camera for use in ISAR's robotic operations. The research has three stages: 1) requirements identification, 2) ground testing and 3) an on orbit demonstration. The camera requirements were identified based on the current robotic arm capacity of the previous version of the arms, and three cameras (Intel R200, DuoM, and Tara) were chosen for further testing. Terrestrial testing consisted of demonstrating capabilities of each camera by taking and processing photos of a test satellite that represented common spacecraft features. The second phase of testing was a comparison of real and measured depth data using CloudCompare software. This paper also details the design modifications required to incorporate the updated sensors as well as an outline for ground testing of the system. The on orbit demonstration of the system’s capabilities is planned to occur in 2019 with the launch of ISAR to the interior of the International Space Station as a payload science experiment.