Impact-Actuated Digging Tool for Lunar Excavation, Phase I

Honeybee Robotics proposes to develop a vacuum compatible, impact-actuated digging tool for the excavation of frozen and compacted regolith on the lunar surface and in the permanently shadowed craters of the lunar poles. This technology development effort will address the most challenging aspects of excavation in the lunar environment and work to develop a design relevant to a range of future lunar missions. This effort will also serve to guide and inform the requirements for the vehicles and systems that will be necessary for such missions. The fundamental architecture of an impact-actuated digging tool has been demonstrated for terrestrial applications for the Department of Defense. Honeybee's digging tool design is a novel approach ideally suited for lunar applications to defeat compacted and frozen regolith. By using the impact energy imparted by a reciprocating hammer transferred through the scoop to defeat the target material, the need for large reaction loads from the vehicle is minimized, allowing for a much smaller, lower mass system. This ongoing effort will serve to instruct and maximize the benefit to NASA.

Potential NASA Commercial Applications: There is an established interest from the Department of Defense in the development of digging tool technology appropriate for integration with small platform unmanned vehicles. Over 2000 such robotic platforms are currently fielded in Iraq and Afghanistan to deal with the persistent threat posed by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), with more on the way. Currently these systems are unable to access buried IEDs commonly deployed as roadside bombs due to the inadequate end-of-arm tooling and the limited reaction forces available. Honeybee sees this related effort to develop an impact actuated digging tool for lunar applications as helping to advance the state of the art for this critical application. With the completion of this Phase I and Phase II effort and the related effort for the DoD for whom we have delivered and fielded a prototype of a very similar system, Honeybee Robotics will have matured the fundamental technology to a high TRL for both lunar and terrestrial applications. This will position Honeybee well to pursue flight contracts for future NASA missions, support activities critical to the military, and seek out commercial markets for robotic digging technology.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — 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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