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Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Autonomous robotic In Space Assembly (ISA) has been a growing area of research in recent years, and will be a valuable technologyas NASA advances to a more permanent presence on the Moon through reducing risks due to human interaction and costs due tofixed volume launch vehicles. Current research into autonomous ISA has focused on static, rigid objects for both manipulation andstate estimation, neglecting flexible components that are a critical part of any structural asset (complex payloads, power harnesses,bending beams, etc.). This proposal looks to fill that gap by introducing a methodology of mixed rigid and flexible object Structure-Aware Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SA-SLAM) to provide a minimal representation of all system objects (robots andassembly elements) in the context of ISA. With insights from preliminary work, this project is expected to develop the following noveltechnologies: a design architecture facilitating assembly and servicing by dexterous robots; a methodology for performing onlineSA-SLAM of busy robotic workspaces using strategically placed sensors and a minimal state representation without a rigid bodyassumption, and a motion planning methodology capable of incorporating predictions from the aforementioned model. With the abilityto perform autonomous assembly operations involving flexible and rigid members and a paradigm to implement large extra-terrestrialstructures, there will be more opportunity for important research and demonstrations to take humans to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
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