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Initial Design and Implementation of a Space Quadruped Crawling Robot Prototype

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Abstract

The rapid development of space technology has made it increasingly important to use space robots for on-orbit services. Space crawling robots can perform extravehicular condition monitoring, spacecraft fault location and diagnosis, repair and maintenance by carrying different payloads and traversing the spacecraft surface, which has received wide attention from researchers. A prototype of space crawling robot has been designed in this work, which is a quadrupedal insect-like configuration with integrated bionic adhesion material on the bottom of the four feet, and can walk on the satellite surface in a gravity-free space environment. The design and implementation of the crawling robot control system is carried out based on Robot Operating System, including hardware system construction and software architecture design. The tripod gait was also designed to enable the robot to crawl more stably in space. At last, the basic capabilities of the designed space crawling robot are tested in the ground environment, and the results demonstrate the robot’s body control capability, omnidirectional walking capability, and obstacle crossing and avoidance capability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Qian Xuesen Laboratory of Space Technology, China Academy of Space Technology, Beijing, 100094, China

    Zhengyou Xie, Xinlong Chen, Dake Chen, Weichun Chen & Yangyang Zhao

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  1. Zhengyou Xie
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  2. Xinlong Chen
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  3. Dake Chen
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  4. Weichun Chen
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  5. Yangyang Zhao
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Correspondence to Xinlong Chen.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Xie, Z., Chen, X., Chen, D. et al. Initial Design and Implementation of a Space Quadruped Crawling Robot Prototype. Adv. Astronaut. Sci. Technol. 4, 173–181 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42423-021-00090-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42423-021-00090-5

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