Lightweight Instrument Manipulator Boom (LIMB)

The Lightweight Instrument Manipulator Boom (LIMB) is a low-power, highly SWaP-optimized robotic arm designed for small cube rovers and aerial platforms supporting NASA’s lunar, Martian, and deep-space missions. Unlike traditional robotic manipulators, LIMB features a bistable boom structure that deploys and retracts using small brushless motors while maintaining position with a self-locking mechanism, eliminating the need for continuous power draw. LIMB provides multi-orientation deployment, allowing it to support scientific instrumentation, sample collection, and communication relay tasks in extreme environments such as lunar regolith, Martian dust storms, and Venusian high-pressure atmospheres. The Phase I effort will focus on designing, modeling, and prototyping the LIMB system to validate its structural feasibility, power efficiency, and operational adaptability across multiple planetary environments. Key objectives include Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for structural validation, development of a functional prototype, and performance testing for dust resistance, thermal tolerance (-180°C to 500°C), and deployment reliability. Deliverables include system architecture, simulation results, a working prototype, and a commercialization roadmap for Phase II development. LIMB directly supports NASA’s Artemis program, CADRE, and Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) by enabling autonomous, energy-efficient robotic operations. Beyond NASA, LIMB has commercial applications in DoD reconnaissance systems, autonomous industrial robotics, and hazardous environment operations. The SBIR funding will advance LIMB toward mission-ready deployment, providing a scalable, lightweight, and multi-mission-capable robotic solution for planetary exploration and beyond.