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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Component pose reconstruction using a single robotic total station for panelized building envelopes

The construction industry can benefit greatly from increased automation in construction processes in terms of precision, time, and labor costs. This is especially true for prefabricated construction for either new buildings or envelope retrofits. Here, prefabricated components are manufactured offsite according to design specifications and installed onsite. Accurate information on the component’s position and orientation (pose) is needed to achieve this. A tool named “Real-Time Evaluator” (RTE), designed to autonomously track prefabricated components as they are being installed and provide real-time installation instructions, is currently under development using a single robotic total station. This is challenging since at least three points are needed to determine the pose of an object in space. To achieve this goal with a single robotic total station, two key algorithms were developed: the “resection” algorithm aligns the digital twin with the physical twin regardless of the location of the total station, and the “transformation” algorithm gives instructions of translations and rotations to installers to achieve the desired installation pose. The algorithms were evaluated experimentally on a lab-scale demonstration. Results show that the resection algorithm achieved an average error of < 3.1 mm, while the transformation algorithm predicted the rotation angle along a single axis with an error of < 0.5◦.

Tang, Mengjia↗
NASA NTRS2003

Metrics for in-space telescope assembly techniques

Reliable metrics are not yet available for choosing among human and robotic assets for space-based construction and servicing of large space telescopes. Using FAIR-DART as a reference design, we generated example event sequences for telescope assembly scenarios in enough detail to identify infrastructure assumptions and technology requirements. A systems trade among human and robotic techniques (human EVA, on-site telerobotic, ground-in-the- loop robotic, commanded or sequenced robotic, and autonomous/decision-making robotic) helped us to define key metrics in the human-robotic trade space, including quality, time, cost, and risk. Our methodology included examining representative end-member scenarios. Case A treated each step in the assembly sequence as if all other steps have no on-site human involvement, and Case B treated each step as if human EVA is already involved in all other steps. With this trade, we identified key enabling technologies and infrastructure for space-based assembly and servicing of large space telescopes.

space telescopes human and robotic in-space assemb↗
NASA NTRS2001

Residue detection for real-time removal of paint from metallic surfaces

Paint stripping from large steel ships and other metallic surfaces is a major issue in the maintenance and refurbishing of structures, and environmental concerns are greatly limiting the possible options. As a result, waterjet with water recycling has become the leading form of paint stripping and robotic manipulators with scanning bridges were constructed by various manufacturers to address this need. The application of such scanning bridges is slow and their access is constrained by the complex shape of the ship hull and various features on the surface. To overcome these limitations, a robotic system that is called Ultrastrip (UltraStrip Systems, Inc., Stuart, FL) is developed. This system uses magnetic wheels to attach the stripper to the structure and travel on it while performing paint stripping. To assure efficient paint stripping feedback data is required to control the travel speed by monitoring the paint thickness before and during the stripping process. Efforts at JPL are currently underway to develop the required feedback capability to assure effective paint stripping. Various possible sensors were considered and issues that can affect the sensitivity, reliability and applicability of the sensors are being investigated with emphasis on measuring the initial conditions of the paint. Issues that affect the sensory data in dynamic conditions are addressed while providing real-time real feedback for the control of the paint stripper speed of travel.

NDT↗
NASA NTRS1989

Communications among elements of a space construction ensemble

Space construction projects will require careful coordination between managers, designers, manufacturers, operators, astronauts, and robots with large volumes of information of varying resolution, timeliness, and accuracy flowing between the distributed participants over computer communications networks. Within the CSC Operations Branch, we are researching the requirements and options for such communications. Based on our work to date, we feel that communications standards being developed by the International Standards Organization, the CCITT, and other groups can be applied to space construction. We are currently studying in depth how such standards can be used to communicate with robots and automated construction equipment used in a space project. Specifically, we are looking at how the Manufacturing Automation Protocol (MAP) and the Manufacturing Message Specification (MMS), which tie together computers and machines in automated factories, might be applied to space construction projects. Together with our CSC industrial partner Computer Technology Associates, we are developing a MAP/MMS companion standard for space construction and we will produce software to allow the MAP/MMS protocol to be used in our CSC operations testbed.

Davis, Randal L.↗
DOE OSTI2024

The ReSWARM microgravity flight experiments: Planning, control, and model estimation for on‐orbit close proximity operations

Abstract On‐orbit close proximity operations involve robotic spacecraft maneuvering and making decisions for a growing number of mission scenarios demanding autonomy, including on‐orbit assembly, repair, and astronaut assistance. Of these scenarios, on‐orbit assembly is an enabling technology that will allow large space structures to be built in situ, using smaller building block modules. However, like many of these scenarios, robotic on‐orbit assembly involves several technical hurdles, such as changing system models. For instance, grappled modules moved by a free‐flying “assembler” robot can cause significant changes in the combined system inertia, which have cascading impacts on motion planning and control portions of the autonomy stack. Further, on‐orbit assembly and other scenarios require collision‐avoiding motion planning, particularly when operating in a “construction site” scenario of multiple assembler robots and structures. Multiple key technologies that address these complicating factors for autonomous microgravity close proximity operations are detailed in this work, in particular: (1) application of global long‐horizon planning, accomplished using offline and online sampling‐based planner options that consider the system dynamics; (2) adaptation of the recently proposed RATTLE information‐aware planning framework for on‐orbit reconfiguration model learning; and (3) connection with robust control tools to provide low‐level control robustness using current system knowledge. These approaches were demonstrated for an autonomous on‐orbit assembly use case by the RElative Satellite sWarming and Robotic Maneuvering (ReSWARM) experiments using NASA's Astrobee robots on the International Space Station. Results of the ReSWARM experiments are provided along with significant operational and implementation detail discussing the practicalities of hardware implementation and unique aspects of working with the Astrobee free‐flyer robots in microgravity. ReSWARM provides a base set of planning and control tools for robotic close proximity operations, demonstrates them in microgravity, and outlines some of the important hardware aspects that future autonomous free‐flyers will need to consider.

Robotics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lunar Base Construction Overview

Previous lunar missions and campaigns have been restricted to using robotic landers and lunar orbiting satellites as well as sortie type of operations using astronaut crews (NASA Apollo program). The next phase of lunar exploration has begun under NASA’s Artemis program and there has been an international response where other nations such as China, Russia, India, Canada, Japan and the European Union of nations, have all expressed interest in either collaborating or competing with NASA on the Moon. This next phase has an over arching goal of achieving a permanent human presence on the Moon via sustainable methods. A lunar base with human occupancy will require infrastructure to provide shelter, utilities, landing/launch pads, roads, communications, power and all the other necessities to sustain human life and protect equipment. Since human biology is not well suited for surviving in the lunar environment, there will be many forms of automated equipment, autonomy and robotic helpers that will minimize the amount of Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) required by the crew. This will mean that the radiation dosage received by the crew will stay within acceptable and safe career doses. The required infrastructure must be constructed, but the mass and logistics of bringing all the construction materials from Earth are prohibitive, which makes the necessary construction difficult to achieve. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) aims to solve this challenge by sourcing construction materials locally or “in-situ”. This means that their transportation can be completely eliminated, resulting in large cost savings by avoiding the launch out of Earth’s deep gravity well and subsequent trans lunar injection, lunar orbit capture and landing. This paper will give an overview of the required construction tasks and related equipment that will be required to robotically build a lunar base using in-situ resources. It will also organize these tasks into logical groupings so that technology development and implementation can be pursued within a framework that can be referenced by all involved.

Construction↗
NASA NTRS2016

ATHLETE as a Mobile ISRU and Regolith Construction Platform

The All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) robotic mobility platform can provide precision positioning and mobility for site preparation and regolith construction needs. ATHLETE is a multi-use platform designed to use swap-out tools and implements that can be applied to any number of tasks that need precision limb manipulation or mobility. Major capabilities include off-loading habitats, transporting surface assets, robotically assembling outposts from multiple mission manifests, and supporting science and technology objectives. This paper describes conceptual approaches for supporting NASA regolith construction research, such as additive construction, modular brick and panel factory, and mobile ISRU platform.

human spaceflight↗
NASA NTRS1972

Robot, computer problem solving system

The development of a computer problem solving system is reported that considers physical problems faced by an artificial robot moving around in a complex environment. Fundamental interaction constraints with a real environment are simulated for the robot by visual scan and creation of an internal environmental model. The programming system used in constructing the problem solving system for the simulated robot and its simulated world environment is outlined together with the task that the system is capable of performing. A very general framework for understanding the relationship between an observed behavior and an adequate description of that behavior is included.

Becker, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Lunar rovers and local positioning system

Telerobotic rovers equipped with adequate actuators and sensors are clearly necessary for extraterrestrial construction. They will be employed as substitutes for humans, to perform jobs like surveying, sensing, signaling, manipulating, and the handling of small materials. Important design criteria for these rovers include versatility and robustness. They must be easily programmed and reprogrammed to perform a wide variety of different functions, and they must be robust so that construction work will not be jeopardized by parts failures. The key qualities and functions necessary for these rovers to achieve the required versatility and robustness are modularity, redundancy, and coordination. Three robotic rovers are being built by CSC as a test bed to implement the concepts of modularity and coordination. The specific goal of the design and construction of these robots is to demonstrate the software modularity and multirobot control algorithms required for the physical manipulation of constructible elements. Each rover consists of a transporter platform, bus manager, simple manipulator, and positioning receivers. These robots will be controlled from a central control console via a radio-frequency local area network (LAN). To date, one prototype transporter platform frame was built with batteries, motors, a prototype single-motor controller, and two prototype internal LAN boards. Software modules were developed in C language for monitor functions, i/o, and parallel port usage in each computer board. Also completed are the fabrication of half of the required number of computer boards, the procurement of 19.2 Kbaud RF modems for inter-robot communications, and the simulation of processing requirements for positioning receivers. In addition to the robotic platform, the fabrication of a local positioning system based on infrared signals is nearly completed. This positioning system will make the rovers into a moving reference system capable of performing site surveys. In addition, a four degree mechanical manipulator especially suited for coordinated teleoperation was conceptually designed and is currently being analyzed. This manipulator will be integrated into the rovers as their end effector. Twenty internal LAN cards fabricated by a commercial firm are being used, a prototype manipulator and a range finder for a positioning system were built, a prototype two-motor controller was designed, and one of the robots is performing its first telerobotic motion. In addition, the robots' internal LAN's were coordinated and tested, hardware design upgrades based on fabrication and fit experience were completed, and the positioning system is running. The rover system is able to perform simple tasks such as sensing and signaling; coordination systems which allow construction tasks to begin were established, and soon coordinated teams of robots in the laboratory will be able to manipulate common objects.

Avery, James↗
NASA NTRS2010

Goddard Robotic Telescope - Optical Follow-up of GRBs and Coordinated Observations of AGNs

Since it is not possible to predict when a Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) will occur or when Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) flaring activity starts, follow-up/monitoring ground telescopes must be located as uniformly as possible all over the world in order to collect data simultaneously with Fermi and Swift detections. However, there is a distinct gap in follow-up coverage of telescopes in the eastern U.S. region based on the operations of Swift. Motivated by this fact, we have constructed a 14" fully automated optical robotic telescope, Goddard Robotic Telescope (GRT), at the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory. The aims of our robotic telescope are 1) to follow-up Swift/Fermi GRBs and 2) to perform the coordinated optical observations of Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) AGN. Our telescope system consists of off-the-shelf hardware. With the focal reducer, we are able to match the field of view of Swift narrow instruments (20' x 20'). We started scientific observations in mid-November 2008 and GRT has been fully remotely operated since August 2009. The 3(sigma) upper limit in a 30-second exposure in the R filter is approx.15.4 mag; however, we can reach to approx.18 mag in a 600-second exposures. Due to the weather condition at the telescope site. our observing efficiency is 30-40%, on average.

Sakamoto, T.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Data acquisition and analysis of range-finding systems for spacing construction

For space missions of future, completely autonomous robotic machines will be required to free astronauts from routine chores of equipment maintenance, servicing of faulty systems, etc. and to extend human capabilities in hazardous environments full of cosmic and other harmful radiations. In places of high radiation and uncontrollable ambient illuminations, T.V. camera based vision systems cannot work effectively. However, a vision system utilizing directly measured range information with a time of flight laser rangefinder, can successfully operate under these environments. Such a system will be independent of proper illumination conditions and the interfering effects of intense radiation of all kinds will be eliminated by the tuned input of the laser instrument. Processing the range data according to certain decision, stochastic estimation and heuristic schemes, the laser based vision system will recognize known objects and thus provide sufficient information to the robot's control system which can develop strategies for various objectives.

Shen, C. N.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lunar Base Construction Planning

Previous lunar missions and campaigns have been restricted to using robotic landers and lunar orbiting satellites as well as sortie type of operations using astronaut crews(NASA Apollo program).Now, the next phase of lunar exploration has begun under NASA’s Artemis program and there has been an international response where other nations such as China, Russia, India, Canada, Japan and theEuropean Union of nations, have all expressed interest in either collaborating or competing with NASA on theMoon. This next phase has an overarching goal of achieving a permanent human presence on theMoon via sustainable methods. A lunar base with human occupancy will require infrastructure to provide shelter, utilities, landing/launch pads, roads, communications, power and all the other necessities to sustain human life and protect equipment.Since human biology is not well suited for surviving in the lunar environment, there will be many forms of automated equipment, autonomy and robotic helpers that will minimize the amount of Extra-Vehicular Activity(EVA) required by the crew. This will mean that the radiation dosage received by the crew will stay within acceptable and safe career doses. Radiation shielding via the use of regolith can also mitigate radiation dangers.The required infrastructure must be constructed, but the mass and logistics of bringing all the construction materials from Earth are prohibitive, which makes the necessary construction difficult to achieve.In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) aims to solve this challenge by sourcing construction materials locally or “in-situ”. This means that their transportation can be completely eliminated, resulting in large cost savings by avoiding the launch out of Earth’s deep gravity well and subsequent trans lunar injection, lunar orbit capture and landing. This paper will give ahistorical review and current status of lunar construction planning and a high level introduction to the required infrastructure and construction equipment that will be required to robotically build a lunar base using in-situ resources.It will also organize these tasks into logical groupings so that technology development and implementation can be pursued within a framework that can be referenced by all involved.

Lunar↗
NASA NTRS2006

NASA's Lunar Robotic Program

Before returning humans to the Moon for mankind s seventh lunar landing, NASA will embark upon a series of robotic missions with International partnership, executed within the construct of an integrated program, designed specifically to prepare the way for this further human exploration. The Lunar Precursors Robotic Exploration Program (LPRP) will acquire knowledge about the moon and its environment, as well as to develop operational experience and infrastructure, all needed to bring about sustained human exploration in the lunar environment. This paper presents an overview of the program in its early stages, a review of the currently planned missions, highlights of several of the program s important features and objectives, and a discussion of the challenges faced as we move forward to prepare for a return of people to the Moon.

McGrath, Melissa A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Control of robot manipulators for handling and assembly in space

Long-range NASA planning includes construction and erection of large systems in space requiring automatic handling equipment, teleoperators, or robots under supervisory control. This paper investigates and explores some of the requirements for the control of teleoperated and autonomous space manipulators. The critical technology development areas are identified and discussed in the context of the developments at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and other places.

Heer, E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A universal six-joint robot controller

A general purpose six-axis robotic manipulator controller was designed and implemented to serve as a research tool for the investigation of the practical and theoretical aspects of various control strategies in robotics. A 80286-based Intel System 310 running the Xenix operating servo software as well as the higher level software (e.g., kinematics and path planning) were employed. A Multibus compatible interface board was designed and constructed to handle I/O signals from the robot manipulator's joint motors. From the design point of view, the universal controller is capable of driving robot manipulators equipped with D.C. joint motors and position optical encoders. To test its functionality, the controller is connected to the joint motor D.C. power amplifier of a PUMA 560 arm bypassing completely the manufacturer-supplied Unimation controller. A controller algorithm consisting of local PD control laws was written and installed into the Xenix operating system. Additional software drivers were implemented to allow application programs access to the interface board. All software was written in the C language.

Bihn, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Real-time robot deliberation by compilation and monitoring of anytime algorithms

Anytime algorithms are algorithms whose quality of results improves gradually as computation time increases. Certainty, accuracy, and specificity are metrics useful in anytime algorighm construction. It is widely accepted that a successful robotic system must trade off between decision quality and the computational resources used to produce it. Anytime algorithms were designed to offer such a trade off. A model of compilation and monitoring mechanisms needed to build robots that can efficiently control their deliberation time is presented. This approach simplifies the design and implementation of complex intelligent robots, mechanizes the composition and monitoring processes, and provides independent real time robotic systems that automatically adjust resource allocation to yield optimum performance.

Zilberstein, Shlomo↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lunar Base Construction Overview

Previous lunar missions and campaigns have been restricted to using robotic landers and lunar orbiting satellites as well as sortie type of operations using astronaut crews (NASA Apollo program). Now, the next phase of lunar exploration has begun under NASA’s Artemis program and there has been an international response where other nations such as China, Russia, India, Canada, Japan and the European Union of nations, have all expressed interest in either collaborating or competing with NASA on the Moon. This next phase has an over arching goal of achieving a permanent human presence on the Moon via sustainable methods. A lunar base with human occupancy will require infrastructure to provide shelter, utilities, landing/launch pads, roads, communications, power and all the other necessities to sustain human life and protect equipment. Since human biology is not well suited for surviving in the lunar environment, there will be many forms of automated equipment, autonomy and robotic helpers that will minimize the amount of Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) required by the crew. This will mean that the radiation dosage received by the crew will stay within acceptable and safe career doses. Radiation shielding via the use of regolith can also mitigate radiation dangers. The required infrastructure must be constructed, but the mass and logistics of bringing all the construction materials from Earth are prohibitive, which makes the necessary construction difficult to achieve. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) aims to solve this challenge by sourcing construction materials locally or “in-situ”. This means that their transportation can be completely eliminated, resulting in large cost savings by avoiding the launch out of Earth’s deep gravity well and subsequent trans lunar injection, lunar orbit capture and landing. This paper will give an overview of the required construction tasks and related equipment that will be required to robotically build a lunar base using in-situ resources. It will also organize these tasks into logical groupings so that technology development and implementation can be pursued within a framework that can be referenced by all involved.

Lunar Base↗