human-robotic symbiosis to enable future planetary extravehicular activity
- Paper number
IAC-08.A5.2.6
- Author
Mr. Shane Jacobs, University of Maryland, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. David Akin, Space Systems Laboratory, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
As the world prepares to return humans to the moon, many specific and unique challenges are emerging that need to be met with advanced technologies. One such area that requires significant improvement is pressure suit design. The research developed here demonstrates further advancements in the concept of a Morphing Upper Torso, which incorporates robotic elements within the pressure suit torso. This unique human-robotic symbiosis is shown to produce a resizable, highly mobile and easy to donn/doff spacesuit, thus enabling further human exploration of the moon and Mars. The paper focuses on the design of the human-robotic system, which contains a set of robotic linkages connecting the waist ring, helmet, and scye bearings. The system produces a large set of coupled, non-linear equations that have been solved numerically, thus allowing modification of the position and orientation of four rings. The inverse kinematics, forward kinematics and Jacobian of the system have all been derived and are discussed in detail. The analytical models developed demonstrate that the suit dimensions can be manipulated, rather than being fixed by rigid fiberglass or soft goods. An experimental, full-scale Morphing Upper Torso is also used in this investigation, accompanying the analytical models. Additionally, a motion capture investigation was done to obtain measurements of suit movement and therefore provide requirements for the actuated system. This study provided the range of motion and speed requirements for the four, interconnected rings to follow the astronaut’s motion and provide an enhanced level of mobility. The results show the merits and feasibility of the concept, and demonstrate that continued research in this area could revolutionize planetary space suit design. The final goal of this research is to develop the concept such that Morphing Upper Torso technology can be incorporated into a future suit, ultimately enabling astronauts to explore the surface of the moon in highly mobile planetary suits.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.A5.2.6.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.