Autonomous Assembly of Solar Array Modules by a Team of Robots, Year 3

Develop, prototype, and test ASSEMBLER system: Operates in many microgravity and surface gravity scenarios Stacked IPJRs for high precision, stiffness, payload. 1) Genderless grippers: self-assembly and swappable end-effectors. 2) Develop autonomy methods for improved robustness and reliability: State estimation for assembly workspace and system. Supervised learning for error detection and recognition. Reinforcement learning to plan servicing and repair strategies. 3) Demonstrate surface assembly scenario: Assembly of representative components with constraints. Surface operations under Earth gravity testable in laboratory without offloading equipment.

This work would benefit robotic and human exploration missions and stakeholder. In-Space assembly capability is critical for HEOMD enabled missions.

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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