Sebastian Bartsch

Development of the six-legged walking and climbing robot SpaceClimber

In this article, we present SpaceClimber,1 a six-legged, bio-inspired, energy-efficient and adaptable free-climbing robot for mobility on steep gradients. The long-term stool is to provide a system for extraterrestrial surface exploration missions, paying special attention to mobility in lunar craters to retrieve or analyze scientific samples from the interior of these craters. We present an envisaged mission for SpaceClimber and summarize the deriving system requirements. The robots morphology determination procedure is depicted, considering the predefined demands and utilizing a simulation environment in combination with evolutionary optimization strategies, followed by a detailed description of the systems hardware design. The theoretical concept for the control of such machines with an extensive sensory–motor configuration is explained, as well as the implemented locomotion control approach and attempts to optimize the behavior of the robot using machine learning techniques. In addition, the experimental plant that was built for testing and evaluating the performance of the developed system in an environment as realistic as possible is introduced, followed by a description of the experiments performed. Concluding, we summarize the results and experiences and give an outlook on further developments.

CESAR: A lunar crater exploration and sample return robot

Suspicion of water ice deposits in the lunar south-polar region have sparked new interest into the earths smaller companion, and robotic crater sample return missions are being considered by a number of space agencies. The difficult terrain with an inclination of over 30°, eternal darkness and temperatures of less than -173°C make this a difficult task. In this paper we present a novel, bio-inspired light-weight system design, which demonstrates a possible approach for such a mission. The robot managed to come first in the Lunar Robotic Challenge (LRC), organised by the European Space Agency (ESA) in October 2008. Using a remote operated robot, we demonstrated to climb into and out of a lunar-like crater with inclination of more than 35° on loose substrate, and performed the collection and delivery of a 100 g soil sample without the aid of external illumination.

Scarabaeus: A Walking Robot Applicable to Sample Return Missions

Recently there was a growing interest in the applicability of walking robots for sample return missions especially in the context of space missions. Samples found in hazardous terrain are of particular scientific interest, especially walking robots have a high degree of mobility in such environments.

Realistic simulation of extraterrestrial legged robot in trade-off between accuracy and simulation time

In this paper, a realistic simulation of extraterrestrial legged robot in trade-off between accuracy and simulation time is presented which provides an enough accuracy to simulate the dynamical properties and locomotions of the legged robot as well as simplified models in a possible timing rate for the realtime simulation. To simplify the complex joint actuator model, an abstract joint actuator model is defined and its parameters are identified. To connect the abstract model to the whole robot kinematic model in a possible timing rate for the real-time simulation, a bi-directional power coupling is proposed. To verify the accuracy of the robot simulation with the abstract model and the power coupling, real experiments are performed and compared with the simulation results. In the proposed realistic simulation, an approach for force measurement for impedance control to improve the locomotion behavior of the legged robot with contact dynamics is developed.

Robust control of a humanoid robot using a bio-inspired approach based on central pattern generators, reflexes, and proprioceptive feedback

This paper presents a biologically inspired control approach for the locomotion of humanoid robots based on a central pattern generator concept with additional balancing behavior which was tested on BIN-HUR, a modified Kondo KHR-1 robot equipped with a custom-made micro-controller board. The software concept is built up on a new behavior-based microkernel named Monster.

Integrated Mechanical, Thermal, Data, and Power Transfer Interfaces for Future Space Robotics

In-situ connectability among modules of a space system can provide significantly enhanced flexibility, adaptability, and robustness for space exploration and servicing missions. Connection of modules in extra-terrestrial environment is hence a topic of rising importance in modern orbital or planetary missions. As an example, the increasing number of satellites sent to space have introduced a large set of connections of various type, for transferring mechanical loads, data, electrical power and heat from one module to another. This paper provides a comprehensive review of published work in space robotic connections and presents the different transfer types developed and used to date in robotic applications for orbital and extra-terrestrial planetary missions. The aims of this paper are to present a detailed analysis of the state of the art available technologies, to make an analysis of and comparison among different solutions to common problems, to synthesize and identify future connectability research, and to lay the foundation for future European space robotic connectability effort and work for a complex and growing important future space missions. All types are described in their base characteristics and evaluated for orbital and planetary environments. This analysis shows that despite the large number of connectors developed for each of the four functionalities (mechanical, thermal, data, and electrical power) here considered, the trend is that researchers are integrating more than one functionalizes into a single equipment or device, to reduce costs and improve standardization. The outcomes of this literature review have contributed toward the design of a future multifunctional, standard and scalable interface at the early stage of the Standard Interface for Robotic Manipulation of Payloads in Future Space Missions (SIROM) project, a European Commission funded Horizon 2020 project. SIROM interfaces will be employed by European prime contractors in future extra-terrestrial missions.

Experience-based adaptation of locomotion behaviors for kinematically complex robots in unstructured terrain

Kinematically complex robots such as legged robots provide a large degree of mobility and flexibility, but demand a sophisticated motion control, which has more tunable parameters than a general planning and decision layer should take into consideration. A lot of parameterizations exist which produce locomotion behaviors that fulfill the desired action but with varying performance, e.g., stability or efficiency. In addition, the performance of a locomotion behavior at any given time is highly depending on the current environmental context. Consequently, a complex mapping is required that closes the gap between robot-independent actions and robot-specific control parameters considering the environmental context and a given prioritization of performance indices.

Experiments on Embodied Cognition: A Bio-Inspired Approach for Robust Biped Locomotion

Recently, the psychological point of view that grants the body a more significant role in cognition has also gained attention in artificial intelligence. Proponents of this approach would claim that instead of a ‘mind that works on abstract problems’ we have to deal with and understand ‘a body that needs a mind to make it function’ (Wilson, 2002). These ideas differ quite radically from the traditional approach that describes a cognitive process as an abstract information processing task where the real physical connections to the outside world are of only sub-critical importance, sometimes discarded as mere ‘informational encapsulated plug-ins’ (Fodor, 1983). Thus most theories in cognitive psychology have tried to describe the process of human thinking in terms of propositional knowledge. At the same time, artificial intelligence research has been dominated by methods of abstract symbolic processing, even if researchers often used robotic systems to implement them (Nilsson, 1984). Ignoring sensor-motor influences on cognitive ability is in sharp contrast to research by William James (James, 1890) and others (see (Prinz, 1987) for a review) that describe theories of cognition based on motor acts, or a theory of cognitive function emerging from seminal research on sensor-motor abilities by Jean Piaget (Wilson, 2002) and the theory of affordances by (Gibson, 1977). In the 1980s the linguist Lakoff and the philosopher Johnson (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980) put forward the idea of abstract concepts based on metaphors for bodily, physical concepts; around the same time, Brooks (Brooks, 1986) made a major impact on artificial intelligence research by his concepts of behavior based robotics and interaction with the environment without internal representation instead of the sensereason-act cycle. This approach has gained wide attention ever since and there appears to be a growing sense of commitment to the idea that cognitive ability in a system (natural or artificial) has to be studied in the context of its relation to a ‘kinematically competent’ physical body. Among the most competent (in a multi functional sense) physical bodies around are certainly humans, so the study of humanoid robots appears to be a promising field for