Stitched Camera Array for Clearance Monitoring

The crew and flight controllers who control the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) currently rely on multiple camera views to confirm or infer clearance between the SSRMS and the surrounding structural environment. The same is true for other remotely operated equipment - surgical instruments, submersible vehicles, and telerobotics. This project explores operational efficiencies gained through the use of an array of cameras surrounding an object (such as the SSRMS boom or Mars Rover) and pointed along the object's long axis or direction of travel. This project will design and build a state-of-the art situational awareness tool for the operators of exploration vehicles. An array of cameras placed around the boundary of the vehicle will feed video to a vehicle-embedded processor which will synthesize the scene data into a single composite view presented to the operator. The composite view will encompass a 360° view around the vehicle from a bird's eye perspective. Robotics platforms used to benchmark this technology include the Dextrous Manipulator Trainer (DMT), model SSRMS, and Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV).

Reduction in cost associated with mission plan-train-fly phases due to increased operational efficiency.#Knowledge, experience, and lessons learned from this project could become instrumental in several NASA projects where providing high-quality proximity/environmental data to the operator is required for safety, efficiency, and reduced bandwidth. Rovers on Mars, the Moon, or an asteroid (such as the MMSEV) are still in the developmental stages and could easily incorporate this technology in the near term. The equipment and expertise assimilated during the project could provide a test-bed at JSC for the development of other uses of stitched video.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 5) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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