Productive Lightweight Robotic Excavation for the Moon and Mars

摘要: AbstractExploration of the Moon and Mars calls for robots that are increasingly capable in regolith, or granular soil. Beyond traversing avoiding entrapment, future will excavate process regolith as a resource. This work distinguishes concerns governing performance operations, based on load-haul-dump tasks motivated by situ resource utilization lunar outpost site work. Payload ratio (mass payload capacity normalized robot mass) driving speed identified key parameters productivity small robots. Other parameters, such number wheels, not important. Experiments with robotic excavator task-level simulations (for which modeling framework is described) determine relative sensitivity to changes these variables. These findings provide direction development lightweight excavators.