The design, fabrication, and microgravity flight-testing are part of a continuing development of palm-sized mobile robots that resemble spiders (except that they have six legs apiece, whereas a spider has eight legs). Denoted SpiderBots (see figure), they are prototypes of proposed product line of relatively inexpensive walking robots that could be deployed in large numbers to function cooperatively in construction, repair, exploration, search, and rescue activities in connection with exploration of outer space and remote planets.
Relative to other legged robots, including ones reported in previous NASA Tech Briefs articles, SpiderBots are smaller, less power-hungry, and more specialized. A SpiderBot at the present stage of development is designed primarily to demonstrate that it can crawl on a flexible rectangular mesh (in micro-gravity) and secondarily that it can walk on flat surfaces and assemble simple structures. Each leg includes two spring-compliant joints and a gripping actuator. The SpiderBot moves in a hard- coded set of tripod gaits involving alternating motions of legs variously anchored or not anchored to a mesh.
The robots were recently tested on a reduced gravity aircraft and were able to demonstrate crawling along the mesh during the microgravity portion of the parabolic flight. In one contemplated improvement, feedback from sensors on the feet would provide indications of success or the lack thereof in gripping a mesh, thereby contributing to robust, fault-tolerant operation.
This work was done by Alberto Behar, Neville Marzwell, Jaret Matthews, and Krandalyn Richardson of Caltech; Jonathan Wall and Michael Poole of Blue Sky Robotics; David Foor of Texas A&M University; and Damian Rogers of ISU (International Space University) for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
NPO-42672
This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
Microgravity, Mesh-Crawling Legged Robots
(reference NPO-42672) is currently available for download from the TSP library.
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Overview
The document outlines a project under NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) focused on the development of a Spiderbot, a small hexapod robot designed for operation in microgravity environments. The project, identified as NPO 42672, aims to demonstrate the Spiderbot's ability to walk on a flexible, deployable mesh, which is particularly relevant for applications in space exploration, construction, and search and rescue missions.
The project is structured in two phases. The first phase involves creating and testing a prototype Spiderbot that can traverse a flexible mesh while maintaining three feet in contact with it at all times. This phase will focus on executing standard tripod-gait motions, which involve alternating the movements of anchored and non-anchored feet. This will allow researchers to evaluate the robot's motor and gear responses during both stance and swing phases of walking. The second phase will build on the findings from the first phase, aiming to refine and improve the walking gait based on experimental results.
The Spiderbot is designed with low-cost and low-power consumption in mind, making it suitable for missions that may require the deployment of numerous expendable robots. Its small size and legged design enable it to navigate challenging terrains that are inaccessible to traditional wheeled robots. The project emphasizes the potential for a team of Spiderbots to collaborate on tasks, enhancing their effectiveness in various applications.
The document also highlights the novelty of the Spiderbot, which is part of the Micro-Robot Explorer project funded by JPL's Advanced Concepts and Technology Innovations Office. The Spiderbot's capabilities include walking on flat surfaces, crawling on meshes, and assembling simple structures, showcasing its versatility for future space missions.
In conclusion, the project aims to advance the field of robotics in microgravity by developing a lightweight, compact, and efficient legged robot. The results of this research will be documented and shared through a final report, which will include visual materials, thereby contributing to the competitiveness of future proposals in aerospace technology. For further inquiries, contact information for JPL's Innovative Technology Assets Management is provided.
