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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
One aspect to overcome for lunar surface operations is the presence of regolith and its deleterious effects on operational hardware. Lunar regolith is small and and has a very high surface roughness which abrades faying surfaces and inhibits joint movability. The purpose of this work is to progress the understanding of contactless magnetic joints in lunar robotics/machinery, where electromagnetics and magnetics are positioned with precision to optimize movements and efficiently conserve power. The contactless aspect of the joint allows for no faying surfaces during operations and natural protection against the abrasiveness of the regolith and the need for constant maintenance. Due to the inherent electrical properties of regolith, caused by the solar winds, additional protection can be achieved through electromagnetic shielding. Though some work has been performed in industry, applications to off-planet work are unique due to the reduced gravity and increased performance gain. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of a 5DOF contactless magnetic joint and to utilize machine learning and LS-Dyna capability to optimize the electromechanical design. This is a sub-project to the EV30 robotic lunar manipulator feasibility assessment that was approved by the HP SPR board to further develop and is intended to fall under the "micro-CIF" call.
Increase the technology level of contactless magnetic joint operations for lunar robotic/machine hardware for regolith protections and operational maintenance need reductions. This directly ties to STMD capability gap STMD-ASR-014, Autonomous Systems and Robotics, Increase resilience and robustness against degradation. This is a technology pull, to increase operational efficiency and performance of off-earth robotics and decrease operational maintenance and replacement. It is a broad push due to its capability to be applied in other applications such as satellites, probes and general in-space machinery.
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