A system for in-space assembly

This paper presents an experimental system for assembly in space. A weightless and frictionless environment is approximated using an air-hockey table where robots and structural components can float on the surface. The robots use fan propulsion to dock with components and assemble them together to make 2D structures. This system is designed to implement three key technologies for space self-assembly: 1) intelligent components with universal connectors, 2) a set of self-reconfigurable robots that fetch and assemble components, and 3) a distributed method for controlling the robotic-assembly process. An overview of the system's design and experimental results is presented.

Authors

• Jacob Everist
• Kasra Mogharei
• Harshit Suri
• Nadeesha Oliver Ranasinghe
• Berok Khoshnevis
• Peter M. Will
• Wei-Min Shen

Keywords

• Assembly systems
• Robotic assembly
• Orbital robotics
• Space technology
• Intelligent robots
• Propulsion
• Self-assembly
• Connectors
• Distributed control
• Robot control
• Assembly System
• Triangular
• Center Of Mass
• Assembly Process
• Structure Of Space
• Proportional-derivative Control