EPM Grippers, DogTags, and LISA Arms for In-Space Inspection and Servicing
Jonathan Goff | Founder & CEO | [email protected] | 2 February 2017
1
Overview
• Altius Snapshot • Previous Capture/Manipulation Robotics Work
• Sticky Boom • Electrostatic Adhesion • Synthetic Gecko Adhesion • Magnetic Jamming Grippers
• Current Capture/Manipulation Robotics Work • Electropermanent Magnetic Grippers • Robotic Interface “DogTags” • Low-Inertia STEM Arm (LISA) Manipulators
• Applications • Bulldog • ISS Assistive Robots • UAV Inspection/Manipulation 2
Altius Snapshot • Founded in July 2010 • Located in Broomfield, CO • Space Robotics and Technology Startup • Currently 8 employees • Primarily bootstrapping off of Commercial, NASA, and DARPA R&D
contracts, developing custom mechanical and robotic solutions • Focus areas include capture robotics, launch vehicle/spacecraft
mechanisms, heliogyro solar sails, and telerobotics • Capabilities include, design, analysis, prototyping, and environmental
testing (TVAC, shock/vibe, and air-bearing testing)
3
Previous Capture/Manipulation Robotics Work: Sticky Boom™ Non-cooperative Capture System
• Non-cooperative capture robot arm with two key parts: • The “sticky” part: non-
cooperative capture head • The “boom” part: long reach
extendible/retractable robot arm
• Invented for enabling rendezvous with objects that still have some relative motion • Rocket upper stages for in-
space refueling • Space Debris • Mars Sample Return Canisters
4
Sticky Boom™ and Direct Rendezvous are protected by US Patents US8979034 B2 and US8967548 B2
Previous Capture/Manipulation Robotics Work: Electrostatic Adhesion
• Gripping using electrostatic forces between flexible electrodes and a target substrate • High voltage (kV) • Low power (mW) • Works best if loaded in shear • Capable of >2psi shear force
depending on target surface • Can grip both conductive and
non-conductive materials
• Being developed by SRI International and GrabIt Inc.
• Can be combined with Gecko Adhesion • Dr Spenko, Illinois Institute of
Technology
5
Previous Capture/Manipulation Robotics Work: Synthetic Gecko Adhesion
• Gripping using Van Der Waals forces between arrays of microscopic wedges or fibers and the target surface • No power gripping • Also works best in shear • Works best on flat, very smooth
surfaces
• Being researched by a wide range of groups for space and terrestrial gripping • NASA JPL/Stanford • Draper Labs • Berkley • And many others
• Can be combined with electroadhesion 6
Previous Capture/Manipulation Robotics Work: Magnetic Jamming Grippers
7
Un
iver
sity
of
Mar
ylan
d M
R G
rip
per
• Magnetic Jamming Grippers have magnetically actuated soft and a rigid states • Either using ferromagnetic
powders or MR fluids • When the magnetic field is off,
the gripper is soft an can conform to a wide range of targets (tools, handle bars, etc)
• When the magnet is turned on the gripper rigidizes allowing manipulation
• Altius and Empire Robotics tested granular media prototypes during their ARM BAA Phase I effort
• University of Maryland has ongoing research on MR grippers for NASA
Current Capture/Manipulation Robotics Work: ElectroPermanent Magnetic Gripping
• ElectroPermanent magnets (EPMs) are electrically switchable permanent magnets • Power only used to change magnetic state • Can be optimized for high contact grip force, distance attraction, or multiple modes
• Can be used to firmly grip thin ferromagnetic patches of material • Grip forces >10psi are easily achievable, even with thin ferromagnetic target patches
(.005-.015in thick) • Useful grip levels even through moderately thick coatings/insulation • Attraction at a distance for much easier capture of tumbling targets • Much stronger grip than electrostatic or gecko adhesion
8
Current Capture/Manipulation Robotics Work: Robotic Interface DogTags
• Robotic interface combining: • Long-range optical fiducials
for relative navigation/localization
• Short-range data codes for object identification
• Lightweight ferromagnetic patch for magnetic gripping
• Can be attached via several means: • Plated onto metal or plastic
surfaces • Adhesively bonded to
surfaces after the fact • Sewn into soft-pack bags
• Currently in the conceptual development phase
9
Current Capture/Manipulation Robotics Work: LISA (Low-Inertia STEM Arm) Manipulators
• Extendable/retractable robot arms mounted to free-flying robots like SPHERES, Astrobee, or Quadrotor UAVs
• Enables inspections, light-duty maintenance and repairs, physical manipulation, sample transfer, and tool husbandry.
• Can use a wide range of capture end-effectors • EPM Grippers/Anchors • Magnetic Jamming Grippers
• Altius has previously built larger-scale STEM Arm proof of concept prototypes
• Currently planning an Astrobee-scale LISA manipulator prototype 10
Applications: Bulldog Backup End-of-Life Disposal Services
• Bulldog capture tug uses an EPM Sticky Boom™ to capture DogTag-equipped dead satellites and tow them to a disposal orbit • Enables capture and
detumble of dead spacecraft using a low-cost spacecraft bus
• Critical for safe operation of LEO megaconstellations
11
Applications : ISS Assistive Free-Flyers
• LISA Arms with a combination of EPM Grippers, DogTags, and potentially MR Grippers
• Enables light-duty manipulation of environment • Pre-arrival outfitting of
habitats • Cargo handling logistics • Tool husbandry • Sample transfer • Maintenance • Emergency operations
12
Applications: UAV Inspections
• Quadrotor UAVs with LISA Arms and potentially EPM grippers can provide contact inspection of hazardous locations
• Ultrasonic inspections of smoke stacks or remote pipelines
13