Good Vibrations Engineering Ltd.

Published purpose

(20STDPL01) A force moment sensor provides a robotic arm with sense of payload resistance. The space environment is particularly difficult, for a variety of reasons: extreme thermal environment, large payloads on long robotic arm, capture of free flyers. This stage of our work in developing a sensor drift free sensor is to provide a simulator, in parallel with hardware development. There is much advanced work in AI and controls which needs the characteristics of such a sensor, before it needs the actual hardware. So as we progress in experimental development, we are updating the simple matlab simulation which has been developed, initially to reflect analytical characteristics developed from earlier prototype responses, now being updated to reflect measured characteristics of 3rd prototype. In particular to reflect test results of the low torsion loads. This simulator will be used to try and optimize the calibration testing needed for continued prototype testing. Robotic control for the Lunar Gateway Station will be heavily dependent of force sensing, because of bandwidth limitations and because it will be under autonomous operation for most of each year.