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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 793 records · Page 44
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Supervised Autonomous Assembly to Create and Evolve Persistent Assets

Supervised autonomous assembly (SAA) will create a paradigm shift in the planning and design of future persistent assets (PAs), both in near zero-g environments and on planetary surfaces. SAA refers to an autonomy approach that has the benefits of autonomous assembly as well as the benefits provided by a supervisor (operator) who is available to resolve unexpected situations. SAA provides both increased design freedom as well as reduced programmatic risk. SAA enables evolution of future PAs over decades as in-space operations transition from single purpose missions to creation of PAs, such as laboratories and experimental stations which more closely resembling terrestrial laboratories that can easily adapt and evolve to new missions leveraging repeated visits to the PA. The ability to evolve enables PAs to rapidly respond to changing objectives resulting from new questions as our understanding improves. A recently initiated National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) project in the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Game Changing Development (GCD) Program called the Precision Assembled Space Structure (PASS), leverages the advantages of SAA to develop technologies that enable efficient creation and evolution of hexagonal topologies; both planar (example: fuel depots) and curved (examples: telescopes and shelters). PASS will be used to provide context for the philosophy and concepts discussed as well as the decision and selections made. PASS objectives are: a) Develop confidence in SAA and on-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing (OSAM) technologies by executing a test campaign that uses a path-to-flight autonomous precision assembly process directly applicable to future space telescopes. b) Test autonomous technologies including automated path planning and error recovery, to emphasize a robust approach that relies on generic robots and special purpose tools. c) Validate critical component models using a digital twin that includes the assembled primary mirror support structure and assembly process. A digital twin is a high-fidelity simulation of the asset capable of predicting the on-orbit performance. The paper concludes after identifying the critical need for a modest assembly flight experiment to validate and develop confidence in the SAA paradigm, thus accelerating adoption of the benefits described. SAA is a game changing paradigm that enhances the ability of an organization to infuse new technology through rapid evolution of PAs while leveraging OSAM technologies.

Structural Modeling↗
NASA NTRS1984

Robotic System

A complicated design project, successfully carried out by New York manufacturing consultant with help from NERAC, Inc., resulted in new type robotic system being marketed for industrial use. Consultant Robert Price, operating at E.S.I, Inc. in Albany, NY, sought help from NERAC to develop an automated tool for deburring the inside of 8 inch breech ring assemblies for howitzers produced by Watervliet Arsenal. NERAC conducted a search of the NASA data base and six others. From information supplied, Price designed a system consisting of a standard industrial robot arm, with a specially engineered six-axis deburring tool fitted to it. A microcomputer and computer program direct the tool on its path through the breech ring. E.S.I. markets the system to aerospace and metal cutting industries for deburring, drilling, routing and refining machined parts.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2016

Planetary Exploration Reinvented

During the past 50 years, we have learned to explore and work in space. Much of what we know about the Solar System we owe to observations and sampling made by robotic spacecraft, landers, planetary rovers, and astronauts. As we look to the future, however, there is ample opportunity to reinvent planetary exploration: to develop new techniques and systems that will enhance and enable discovery.In this talk, I will describe how the NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) is working to reinvent planetary exploration. First, I will present IRG's development of robots for human exploration. These robots are designed to perform work before, in parallel, and after human activity. Next, I will show how IRG is building automated planetary mapping systems to process the enormous amount of data that NASA collects from orbit. Finally, I will discuss how IRG is changing the way ground control software is created, particularly for supporting science operations.

robotics↗
DOE OSTI2015

High-density grids for efficient data collection from multiple crystals

Higher throughput methods to mount and collect data from multiple small and radiation-sensitive crystals are important to support challenging structural investigations using microfocus synchrotron beamlines. Furthermore, efficient sample-delivery methods are essential to carry out productive femtosecond crystallography experiments at X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) sources such as the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). To address these needs, a high-density sample grid useful as a scaffold for both crystal growth and diffraction data collection has been developed and utilized for efficient goniometer-based sample delivery at synchrotron and XFEL sources. A single grid contains 75 mounting ports and fits inside an SSRL cassette or uni-puck storage container. The use of grids with an SSRL cassette expands the cassette capacity up to 7200 samples. Grids may also be covered with a polymer film or sleeve for efficient room-temperature data collection from multiple samples. New automated routines have been incorporated into the Blu-Ice / DCSS experimental control system to support grids, including semi-automated grid alignment, fully automated positioning of grid ports, rastering and automated data collection. Specialized tools have been developed to support crystallization experiments on grids, including a universal adaptor, which allows grids to be filled by commercial liquid-handling robots, as well as incubation chambers, which support vapor-diffusion and lipidic cubic phase crystallization experiments. Experiments in which crystals were loaded into grids or grown on grids using liquid-handling robots and incubation chambers are described. As a result, crystals were screened at LCLS-XPP and SSRL BL12-2 at room temperature and cryogenic temperatures.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1999

Test Results for the Automated Rendezvous and Capture System

The Automated Rendezvous and Capture (AR&C) system was designed and tested at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to demonstrate technologies and mission strategies for automated rendezvous and docking of spacecraft in Earth orbit, The system incorporates some of the latest innovations in Global Positioning, System space navigation, laser sensor technologies and automated mission sequencing algorithms. The system's initial design and integration was completed in 1998 and has undergone testing at MSFC. This paper describes the major components of the AR&C system and presents results from the official system tests performed in MSFC's Flight Robotics Laboratory with digital simulations and hardware in the loop tests. The results show that the AR&C system can safely and reliably perform automated rendezvous and docking missions in the absence of system failures with 100 percent success. When system failures are included, the system uses its automated collision avoidance maneuver logic to recover in a safe manner. The primary objective of the AR&C project is to prove that by designing a safe and robust automated system, mission operations cost can be reduced by decreasing the personnel required for mission design, preflight planning and training required for crewed rendezvous and docking missions.

Cruzen, Craig↗
DOE OSTI2015

Laser size reduction of contaminated Magnox Pond skips - 15166

The Magnox Pond Program Team at Hinkley Point A Power Station have successfully demonstrated the use of an automated Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) dry milling process to efficiently decontaminate radioactive pond skips that were once used to store and transport Magnox spent fuel assemblies between reactor sites and Sellafield for reprocessing. This decontamination process has ensured ILW skips meet metal melt recycling criteria, and even Out of Scope levels, while at the same time producing dry swarf that is easily disposed of as ILW. However, the dry milling method requires the skips to be size reduced to a very simple flat geometry to simplify the milling operation. Several size reduction techniques (mechanical and thermal) have been evaluated. Based on the advantages of remote handling, high cutting speed, flexibility with complex geometries, reduced secondary waste production and significantly reduced worker exposure, robotically operated fibre delivered laser cutting was chosen. This paper describes the development, installation and operation of an automated laser cutting system commissioned at Hinkley Point A to size reduce contaminated skips in to five flat sections. It was demonstrated that a complete skip can be remotely size reduced in less than 60 minutes. This successful demonstration, coupled with CNC milling, has the potential to save an estimated British Pounds 30 million across the Magnox sites alone, with much higher saving potentials for skips stored at Sellafield, enabling this new size reduction process to meet cost reduction objectives of the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1993

Air Force construction automation/robotics

The Air Force has several missions which generate unique requirements that are being met through the development of construction robotic technology. One especially important mission will be the conduct of Department of Defense (DOD) space activities. Space operations and other missions place construction/repair equipment operators in dangerous environments and potentially harmful situations. Additionally, force reductions require that human resources be leveraged to the maximum extent possible, and more stringent construction repair requirements push for increased automation. To solve these problems, the U.S. Air Force is undertaking a research and development effort at Tyndall AFB, FL, to develop robotic construction/repair equipment. This development effort involves the following technologies: teleoperation, telerobotics, construction operations (excavation, grading, leveling, tool change), robotic vehicle communications, vehicle navigation, mission/vehicle task control architecture, and associated computing environment. The ultimate goal is the fielding of a robotic repair capability operating at the level of supervised autonomy. This paper will discuss current and planned efforts in space construction/repair, explosive ordnance disposal, hazardous waste cleanup, and fire fighting.

Nease, A. D.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Precision Control of a Slender High Payload 22 DoF Nuclear Robot System: TARM Re-ascending - 18346

The DEMO Remote Maintenance System (RMS) functional requirements represent a truly extreme environment. In the current design of the in-vessel RMS, blanket segment maintenance represents one of the most challenging tasks overall. As part of the JET (Joint European Torus) project, an ambitious 22 DoF transporter was created, the TARM (Telescopic Articulated Remote MAST). The TARM has been identified as a suitable test bed for the early development and verification of the control system and structural simulators. This paper outlines the development of the TARM into a multi-purpose test-rig for Precision Control of a Slender High Payload large DoF Nuclear Robot System. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

Robotic sample changers for macromolecular X-ray crystallography and biological small-angle X-ray scattering at the National Synchrotron Light Source II

In this work, we present two robotic sample changers integrated into the experimental stations for the macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamlines AMX and FMX, and the biological small-angle scattering (bioSAXS) beamline LiX. They enable fully automated unattended data collection and remote access to the beamlines. The system designs incorporate high-throughput, versatility, high-capacity, resource sharing and robustness. All systems are centered around a six-axis industrial robotic arm coupled with a force torque sensor and in-house end effectors (grippers). They have the same software architecture and the facility standard EPICS-based BEAST alarm system. The MX system is compatible with SPINE bases and Unipucks. It comprises a liquid nitrogen dewar holding 384 samples (24 Unipucks) and a stay-cold gripper, and utilizes machine vision software to track the sample during operations and to calculate the final mount position on the goniometer. The bioSAXS system has an in-house engineered sample storage unit that can hold up to 360 samples (20 sample holders) which keeps samples at a user-set temperature (277 K to 300 K). The MX systems were deployed in early 2017 and the bioSAXS system in early 2019.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1990

Geoscience and a Lunar Base: A Comprehensive Plan for Lunar Exploration

This document represents the proceedings of the Workshop on Geoscience from a Lunar Base. It describes a comprehensive plan for the geologic exploration of the Moon. The document begins by explaining the scientific importance of studying the Moon and outlines the many unsolved problems in lunar science. Subsequent chapters detail different, complementary approaches to geologic studies: global surveys, including orbiting spacecraft such as Lunar Observer and installation of a global geophysical network; reconnaissance sample return mission, by either automated rovers or landers, or by piloted forays; detailed field studies, which involve astronauts and teleoperated robotic field geologists. The document then develops a flexible scenario for exploration and sketches the technological developments needed to carry out the exploration scenario.

Taylor, G. Jeffrey↗
NASA NTRS1992

US Department of Energy's Efforts in Intelligent Processing Equipment

The Department of Energy (DOE) uses intelligent processing equipment (IPE) technologies to conduct research and development and manufacturing for energy and nuclear weapons programs. This paper highlights several significant IPE efforts underway in DOE. IPE technologies are essential to the accomplishment of DOE's missions, because of the need for small lot production, precision, and accuracy in manufacturing, hazardous waste management, and protection of the environment and the safety and health of the workforce and public. Applications of IPE technologies include environmental remediation and waste handling, advanced manufacturing, and automation of tasks carried out in hazardous areas. DOE laboratories have several key programs that integrate robotics, sensor, and control technologies. These programs embody a considerable technical capability that also may be used to enhance U.S. industrial competitiveness. DOE encourages closer cooperation with U.S. industrial partners based on mutual benefits. This paper briefly describes technology transfer mechanisms available for industrial involvement.

Peavy, Richard D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Planning Motions To Avoid Moving Obstacles

Method of planning motions of object to prevent collisions with other moving objects derived from concept of collision cones in relative-velocity space. Collision cones computed, then maneuvers chosen to avoid these cones. Method considered prototype of automated method of planning motions in diverse applications, including complex manufacturing tasks involving coordination of multiple robots and controlling land, air, and sea traffic.

Fiorini, Paolo↗
NASA NTRS1999

Park Smart

The Parking Garage Automation System (PGAS) is based on a technology developed by a NASA-sponsored project called Robot sensorSkin(TM). Merritt Systems, Inc., of Orlando, Florida, teamed up with NASA to improve robots working with critical flight hardware at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The system, containing smart sensor modules and flexible printed circuit board skin, help robots to steer clear of obstacles using a proximity sensing system. Advancements in the sensor designs are being applied to various commercial applications, including the PGAS. The system includes a smartSensor(TM) network installed around and within public parking garages to autonomously guide motorists to open facilities, and once within, to free parking spaces. The sensors use non-invasive reflective-ultrasonic technology for high accuracy, high reliability, and low maintenance. The system is remotely programmable: it can be tuned to site-specific requirements, has variable range capability, and allows remote configuration, monitoring, and diagnostics. The sensors are immune to interference from metallic construction materials, such as rebar and steel beams. Inside the garage, smart routing signs mounted overhead or on poles in front of each row of parking spots guide the motorist precisely to free spaces.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2001

Where to look? Automating attending behaviors of virtual human characters

This research proposes a computational framework for generating visual attending behavior in an embodied simulated human agent. Such behaviors directly control eye and head motions, and guide other actions such as locomotion and reach. The implementation of these concepts, referred to as the AVA, draws on empirical and qualitative observations known from psychology, human factors and computer vision. Deliberate behaviors, the analogs of scanpaths in visual psychology, compete with involuntary attention capture and lapses into idling or free viewing. Insights provided by implementing this framework are: a defined set of parameters that impact the observable effects of attention, a defined vocabulary of looking behaviors for certain motor and cognitive activity, a defined hierarchy of three levels of eye behavior (endogenous, exogenous and idling) and a proposed method of how these types interact.

NASA Discipline Space Human Factors↗
NASA NTRS2016

Information Foraging and Change Detection for Automated Science Exploration

This paper presents a new algorithm for autonomous on-line exploration in unknown environments. The objective is to free remote scientists from possibly-infeasible extensive preliminary site investigation prior to sending robotic agents. We simulate a common exploration task for an autonomous robot sampling the environment at various locations and compare performance against simpler control strategies. An extension is proposed and evaluated that further permits operation in the presence of environmental variability in which the robot encounters a change in the distribution underlying sampling targets. Experimental results indicate a strong improvement in performance across varied parameter choices for the scenario.

automated exploration↗
DOE OSTI2018

Using Contact to Increase Robot Performance for Glovebox D and D Tasks - 18227

Glovebox decommissioning tasks usually require manipulating relatively heavy objects in a highly constrained environment. Thus, contact with the surroundings becomes inevitable. In order to allow the robot to interact with the environment in a natural way, we present a contact-implicit motion planning framework. This framework enables the system, without the specification in advance of a contact plan, to make and break contacts to maintain stability while performing a manipulation task. In this method, we use linear complementarity constraints to model rigid body contacts and find a locally optimal solution for joint displacements and magnitudes of support forces. Then, joint torques are calculated such that the support forces have the highest priority. We evaluate our framework in a 2.5D, quasi-static simulation in which a humanoid robot with planar arms manipulates a heavy object. Our results suggest that the proposed method provides the robot with the ability to balance itself by generating support forces on the environment while simultaneously performing the manipulation task. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Fully Robotic Hot Cell Crane for Target Hall Operations at Isotope Research Facility - 18329

There are many types of equipment used in high radiation environments, but the super-sized and high precision lifting requirements for an isotope research facility in the USA called for one of the largest fully robotic cranes in the US. The 20 Ton Remote Handling Bridge Crane provided by PaR Systems met many challenging requirements for accuracy, repeatability and unique lifting motions in the radiation-shielded target hall of this facility. This robotic system was designed to address four main issues. The first is that the crane needed to be operated remotely due to high radioactivity during the time when it is needed most. Second is that high precision is needed due to the complex fit of multiple heavy shielding blocks. Third problem is that automated routines and exclusion areas were needed due to the remote operation of the system around high capital cost equipment. Lastly is the survivability of the equipment due to the high radiation environment. The facility robotic crane is an overhead top running multiple girder hot cell bridge crane (hereafter referred to as the system). The system is intended to be used in either manually operated or automated operation under computer control. Under automated control, the system provides highly accurate motion control in three linear axes as well as hook rotation. Using motion control programming, this highly accurate system ensures safe, remote movement of in-cell components. The system was designed to be remotely operated by a technician from the remote handling control room in the facility. This is facilitated by computer control using the System Graphical User Interface with feedback from a facility supplied video system. It can also be operated using a wireless hand held controller. The system will be used to place sensitive components with high precision in locations that will be difficult to observe directly. In order to accomplish this, it is critical that the system be capable of moving its payload with minimal swing, and with high accuracy, repeatability and reliability. The system will be operating in an environment where it will be exposed to both high energy neutrons and gamma radiation. Under beam-off conditions, the target hall will be hands-on accessible to accommodate crane maintenance. The system was installed and tested in early 2017 in advance of the live operations of the facility. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS2006

NASA Tech Briefs, September 2006

Topics covered include: Improving Thermomechanical Properties of SiC/SiC Composites; Aerogel/Particle Composites for Thermoelectric Devices; Patches for Repairing Ceramics and Ceramic- Matrix Composites; Lower-Conductivity Ceramic Materials for Thermal-Barrier Coatings; An Alternative for Emergency Preemption of Traffic Lights; Vehicle Transponder for Preemption of Traffic Lights; Automated Announcements of Approaching Emergency Vehicles; Intersection Monitor for Traffic-Light-Preemption System; Full-Duplex Digital Communication on a Single Laser Beam; Stabilizing Microwave Frequency of a Photonic Oscillator; Microwave Oscillators Based on Nonlinear WGM Resonators; Pointing Reference Scheme for Free-Space Optical Communications Systems; High-Level Performance Modeling of SAR Systems; Spectral Analysis Tool 6.2 for Windows; Multi-Platform Avionics Simulator; Silicon-Based Optical Modulator with Ferroelectric Layer; Multiplexing Transducers Based on Tunnel-Diode Oscillators; Scheduling with Automated Resolution of Conflicts; Symbolic Constraint Maintenance Grid; Discerning Trends in Performance Across Multiple Events; Magnetic Field Solver; Computing for Aiming a Spaceborne Bistatic- Radar Transmitter; 4-Vinyl-1,3-Dioxolane-2-One as an Additive for Li-Ion Cells; Probabilistic Prediction of Lifetimes of Ceramic Parts; STRANAL-PMC Version 2.0; Micromechanics and Piezo Enhancements of HyperSizer; Single-Phase Rare-Earth Oxide/Aluminum Oxide Glasses; Tilt/Tip/Piston Manipulator with Base-Mounted Actuators; Measurement of Model Noise in a Hard-Wall Wind Tunnel; Loci-STREAM Version 0.9; The Synergistic Engineering Environment; Reconfigurable Software for Controlling Formation Flying; More About the Tetrahedral Unstructured Software System; Computing Flows Using Chimera and Unstructured Grids; Avoiding Obstructions in Aiming a High-Gain Antenna; Analyzing Aeroelastic Stability of a Tilt-Rotor Aircraft; Tracking Positions and Attitudes of Mars Rovers; Stochastic Evolutionary Algorithms for Planning Robot Paths; Compressible Flow Toolbox; Rapid Aeroelastic Analysis of Blade Flutter in Turbomachines; General Flow-Solver Code for Turbomachinery Applications; Code for Multiblock CFD and Heat-Transfer Computations; Rotating-Pump Design Code; Covering a Crucible with Metal Containing Channels; Repairing Fractured Bones by Use of Bioabsorbable Composites; Kalman Filter for Calibrating a Telescope Focal Plane; Electronic Absolute Cartesian Autocollimator; Fiber-Optic Gratings for Lidar Measurements of Water Vapor; Simulating Responses of Gravitational-Wave Instrumentation; SOFTC: A Software Correlator for VLBI; Progress in Computational Simulation of Earthquakes; Database of Properties of Meteors; Computing Spacecraft Solar-Cell Damage by Charged Particles; Thermal Model of a Current-Carrying Wire in a Vacuum; Program for Analyzing Flows in a Complex Network; Program Predicts Performance of Optical Parametric Oscillators; Processing TES Level-1B Data; Automated Camera Calibration; Tracking the Martian CO2 Polar Ice Caps in Infrared Images; Processing TES Level-2 Data; SmaggIce Version 1.8; Solving the Swath Segment Selection Problem; The Spatial Standard Observer; Less-Complex Method of Classifying MPSK; Improvement in Recursive Hierarchical Segmentation of Data; Using Heaps in Recursive Hierarchical Segmentation of Data; Tool for Statistical Analysis and Display of Landing Sites; Automated Assignment of Proposals to Reviewers; Array-Pattern-Match Compiler for Opportunistic Data Analysis; Pre-Processor for Compression of Multispectral Image Data; Compressing Image Data While Limiting the Effects of Data Losses; Flight Operations Analysis Tool; Improvement in Visual Target Tracking for a Mobile Robot; Software for Simulating Air Traffic; Automated Vectorization of Decision-Based Algorithms; Grayscale Optical Correlator Workbench; "One-Stop Shopping" for Ocean Remote-Sensing and Model Data; State Analysis Database Tool; Generating CAHV and CAHVOmages with Shadows in ROAMS; Improving UDP/IP Transmission Without Increasing Congestion; FORTRAN Versions of Reformulated HFGMC Codes; Program for Editing Spacecraft Command Sequences; Flight-Tested Prototype of BEAM Software; Mission Scenario Development Workbench; Marsviewer; Tool for Analysis and Reduction of Scientific Data; ASPEN Version 3.0; Secure Display of Space-Exploration Images; Digital Front End for Wide-Band VLBI Science Receiver; Multifunctional Tanks for Spacecraft; Lightweight, Segmented, Mostly Silicon Telescope Mirror; Assistant for Analyzing Tropical-Rain-Mapping Radar Data; and Anion-Intercalating Cathodes for High-Energy- Density Cells.

Source record↗