Low-Gravity Robotic Arm System (L-GRAS)

Motiv Space Systems (Motiv) presents the Low-Gravity Robotic Arm System (L-GRAS) to address the growing need for extremely lightweight robotics for low-gravity environments.nbsp; With both NASA and commercial entities targeting operations in low-gravity environments such as the Moon there is a robotics capability gap for low-gravity robotic arms that can scale for different use cases and vehicles.nbsp; This need extends not only for the Moon but also environments like Enceladus where the gravity is 1% of Earthrsquo;s.nbsp; In addition to operating in such an environment there is a priority to minimize mass for many of these missions.nbsp; In particular, the rotorcraft missions envisioned for planetary bodies such as Mars, made feasible by the success of the Ingenuity helicopter, require ultra-lightweight systems.nbsp; Because every mission is different the L-GRAS system is designed to be modular and scalable to afford the varied use cases, dexterity, and reach needs of a variety of missions.nbsp; Any commercial solution for low-gravity arms must be technologically feasible and affordable.nbsp; Additionally, for the design to be commercially viable, potential solutions must be scalable and tolerant of various kinematic solutions.nbsp; L-GRAS can be scaled for rovers, rotorcraft, or landers.nbsp; The focus of this proposed research is a solution based on well-established principles in motion control, robotics, and electrostatic adhesion but tailored to take advantage of the low-gravity planetary environments.nbsp; nbsp;Additionally, for sample handling or transfer, the choice of the electrostatic adhesion gripper can be designed to both handle a wide variety of specimens and impart no detrimental magnetic field into the sample.nbsp; L-GRAS is comprised of a small robotic arm with distributed drive electronics and a customizable electrostatic adhesion gripper powered by a high voltage DC-DC converter. nbsp;This robotic system will enable a low cost, versatile, scalable approach to enable low-gravity environment exploration.