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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Wheeled rovers play an invaluable role in exploring our solar system through close-range observation, but they find many scientifically significant sites inaccessible due to steep terrain features. This limitation on conventional rover mobility has driven research into climbing robots, which often rely on multiple limbs that grasp footholds to support their weight. Climbing is an inherently high-risk operation and the demise of a primary mission asset during a space mission would be catastrophic. However, one or more small, expendable climbing robots could instead be carried alongside a larger conventional rover, to be deployed at sites of scientific interest without endangering the primary mission objectives. Such a system would reduce overall risk, enable division of labor between multiple vehicles, and lower the activation barrier of sending the first climbing robots into space. To this end, I aim to develop a low-mass climbing robot capable of autonomously traversing uneven cliff faces. The proposed project will require the design and implementation of novel micro-spine grippers, a multi-legged robotic system, and a control scheme for motion planning while climbing.
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