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Design of a Robotic Ankle Joint for a Microspine-Based RobotSuccessful robotic exploration of near-Earth asteroids necessitates a method of securely anchoring to the surface of these bodies without gravitational assistance. Microspine grip- per arrays that can grasp rock faces are a potential solution to this problem. A key component of a future microspine-based rover will be the ankle used to attach each microspine gripper to the robot. The ankle's purpose is twofold: 1) to allow the gripper to conform to the rock so a higher percentage of microspines attach to the surface, and 2) to neutralize torques that may dislodge the grippers from the wall. Parts were developed using computer aided design and manufactured using a variety of methods including selective laser sintering, CNC milling, and traditional manual machining techniques. Upon completion of the final prototype, the gripper and ankle system was tested to demonstrate robotic engagement and disengagement of the gripper and to determine load bearing ability. The immediate application of this project is to out t the Lemur IIb robot so it can climb and hang from rock walls.
Document ID
20150006580
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Other
External Source(s)
Authors
Thatte, Nitish
(Rutgers - The State Univ. New Brunswick, NJ, United States)
Date Acquired
April 23, 2015
Publication Date
May 15, 2011
Subject Category
Cybernetics, Artificial Intelligence And Robotics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Near-Earth objects
microspine grippers

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