Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
May 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006agusm.p41a..02c&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007, abstract #P41A-02
Mathematics
Logic
5410 Composition (1060, 3672), 5420 Impact Phenomena, Cratering (6022, 8136), 5475 Tectonics (8149), 5480 Volcanism (6063, 8148, 8450), 5494 Instruments And Techniques
Scientific paper
Reconfigurable architecture is essential in exploration because reaching features of the great potential interest, whether searching for life in volcanic terrain or water in at the bottom of craters, will require crossing a wide range of terrains. Such areas of interest are largely inaccessible to permanently appendaged vehicles. For example, morphology and geochemistry of interior basins, walls, and ejecta blankets of volcanic or impact structures must all be studied to understand the nature of a geological event. One surface might be relatively flat and navigable, while another could be rough, variably sloping, broken, or dominated by unconsolidated debris. To be totally functional, structures must form pseudo-appendages varying in size, rate, and manner of deployment (gait). We have already prototyped a simple robotic walker from a single reconfigurable tetrahedron (with struts as sides and nodes as apices) capable of tumbling and are simulating and building a prototype of the more evolved 12Tetrahedral Walker (Autonomous Moon or Mars Investigator) which has interior nodes for payload, more continuous motion, and is commandable through a user friendly interface. We are currently developing a more differentiated architecture to form detachable, reconfigurable, reshapable linearly extendable bodies to act as manual assistant subsystems on rovers, with extensions terminating in a wider range of sensors. We are now simulating gaits for and will be building a prototype rover arm. Ultimately, complex continuous n-tetrahedral structures will have deployable outer skin, and even higher degrees of freedom. Tetrahedral rover advantages over traditional wheeled or tread robots are being demonstrated and include abilities to: 1) traverse terrain more rugged in terms of slope, roughness, and obstacle size; 2) precisely place and lower instruments into hard-to-reach crevices; 3) sample more locations per unit time; 4) conform to virtually any terrain; 5) avoid falling down or getting stuck permanently; 6) be easily maintained due to its modularity; 7) have a robust CC&T system built form common networking hardware and software; 8) avoid failure through compensatory gait (limp); 9) have distributed sensors embedded in structure; and 10) accommodate a range of deployment mechanisms and power sources.
Cheung Chi-Yee
Clark Pamela E.
Curtis Steven Andrew
Dorband John E.
Lunsford Allen W.
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