Publication
Design and evaluation of an end-effector for a reconfigurable multi-robot system for future planetary missions
Wiebke Brinkmann; Thomas M. Roehr; Sankaranarayanan Natarajan; Florian Cordes; Roland Sonsalla; Roman Szczuka; Sebastian Bartsch; Frank Kirchner
In: Proceedings of the 2018 IEEE Aerospace Conference. IEEE Aerospace Conference, March 3-10, Big Sky, Montana, USA, Pages 1-10, IEEE, 3/2018.
Abstract
This paper presents the design, functionality and evaluation
of an end-effector, operating at the end of a 6 degree-offreedom
manipulator of the existing planetary rover SherpaTT.
The end-effector consists of an active electro-mechanical interface
(EMI), which has an active mechanical docking interface, as
well as power and data connectors, a camera primary used for
visual servoing and LED lights. The ability of the end-effector to
grapple different robotic systems and change their configuration
is proved under laboratory and field conditions in the framework
of a heterogeneous multi-robot system. The end-effector
of SherpaTT is an improved version of the previous end-effector
of the predecessor project RIMRES. This paper outlines the
development process and improvements of the end-effector and
describes its the role within different terrestrial test scenarios in
more detail. Learned lesson will help to develop the end-effector
in the H2020 EU-funded project SIROM(Standard Interface for
Robotic Manipulation of Payloads in Future Space Missions),
which will be deployed at the manipulator of SherpaTT for
experimental verification for future planetary missions.