2016/03/24 by Pedro Roque, Roque, Pedro, Rodrigo Ventura +1
Computer Science · Engineering · #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Robotic Path Planning Algorithms #Robotics (cs.RO) #Space Satellite Systems and Control #Spacecraft Dynamics and Control
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1603.07545
openalex publication_date 2016/03/24 · openalex created_date 2022/10/04 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
This paper presents the design of a small aerial robot for inhabited\nmicrogravity environments, such as orbiting space stations (e.g., ISS). In\nparticular, we target a fleet of robots, called Space CoBots, for collaborative\ntasks with humans, such as telepresence and cooperative mobile manipulation.\nThe design is modular, comprising an hexrotor based propulsion system, and a\nstack of modules including batteries, cameras for navigation, a screen for\ntelepresence, a robotic arm, space for extension modules, and a pair of docking\nports. These ports can be used for docking and for mechanically attaching two\nSpace CoBots together. The kinematics is holonomic, and thus the translational\nand the rotational components can be fully decoupled. We employ a\nmulti-criteria optimization approach to determine the best geometric\nconfiguration for maximum thrust and torque across all directions. We also\ntackle the problem of motion control: we use separate converging controllers\nfor position and attitude control. Finally, we present simulation results using\na realistic physics simulator. These experiments include a sensitivity\nevaluation to sensor noise and to unmodeled dynamics, namely a load\ntransportation.\n