Propulsion Mechanism for a Lunar Subterranean Excavator Using Peristaltic Crawling

Abstract

Exploration below the lunar surface has great potential for scientific progress and the future of space explanation. However, as of now, little is known about the environment of the lunar subsurface, but the international space community has plans to explore it. The development of an excavator that can perform underground investigations has been needed, so we have developed one with a peristaltic crawling mechanism. The robot consists of propulsion and excavation units. The propulsion unit consists of three propulsion subunits which together form the peristaltic crawling mechanism. The excavation unit has an earth auger to dig up and transport soil. In this study, we propose a new type of propulsion subunit. It has a belt drive system to facilitate the smooth movement of the propulsion subunits, and it enables the robot to support three subunits. We also perform experiments in which the excavation robot burrows into red soil to depths of up to 600 mm.

Simulation of compound anchor intrusion in dry sand by a hybrid FEM+SPH method

“…Intrusion, extrusion and drag of complex shaped objects have raised increasing attention among various scientific communities involved with the deployment of robots and structures for exploratory missions in submerged sediments (e.g., (Winter et al, 2014;Isava et al, 2016)) or extra-terrestrial regoliths (e.g., (Nagaoka et al, 2010;Kitamoto et al, 2012)). It is key to understand the fundamental mechanisms of anchoring, drag and lift in order to optimize burrowing and locomotion (Russell, 2011;Hosoi and Goldman, 2015;Naclerio et al, 2021;Martinez et al, 2021).…”