Multi-robot cooperation for lunar In-Situ resource utilization
This paper presents a cooperative, multi-robot solution for searching, excavating, and transporting mineral resources on the Moon. Our work was developed in the context of the Space Robotics Challenge Phase 2 (SRCP2), which was part of the NASA Centennial Challenges and was motivated by the current...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Robotics and AI |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frobt.2023.1149080/full |
| _version_ | 1797862151251034112 |
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| author | Bernardo Martinez Rocamora Cagri Kilic Christopher Tatsch Guilherme A. S. Pereira Jason N. Gross |
| author_facet | Bernardo Martinez Rocamora Cagri Kilic Christopher Tatsch Guilherme A. S. Pereira Jason N. Gross |
| author_sort | Bernardo Martinez Rocamora |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper presents a cooperative, multi-robot solution for searching, excavating, and transporting mineral resources on the Moon. Our work was developed in the context of the Space Robotics Challenge Phase 2 (SRCP2), which was part of the NASA Centennial Challenges and was motivated by the current NASA Artemis program, a flagship initiative that intends to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon. In the SRCP2 a group of simulated mobile robots was tasked with reporting volatile locations within a realistic lunar simulation environment, and excavating and transporting these resources to target locations in such an environment. In this paper, we describe our solution to the SRCP2 competition that includes our strategies for rover mobility hazard estimation (e.g. slippage level, stuck status), immobility recovery, rover-to-rover, and rover-to-infrastructure docking, rover coordination and cooperation, and cooperative task planning and autonomy. Our solution was able to successfully complete all tasks required by the challenge, granting our team sixth place among all participants of the challenge. Our results demonstrate the potential of using autonomous robots for autonomous in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon. Our results also highlight the effectiveness of realistic simulation environments for testing and validating robot autonomy and coordination algorithms. The successful completion of the SRCP2 challenge using our solution demonstrates the potential of cooperative, multi-robot systems for resource utilization on the Moon. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:14:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f84008510cdf4d21aa6157336ad976b3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-9144 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:14:37Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Robotics and AI |
| spelling | doaj.art-f84008510cdf4d21aa6157336ad976b32023-03-23T04:46:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Robotics and AI2296-91442023-03-011010.3389/frobt.2023.11490801149080Multi-robot cooperation for lunar In-Situ resource utilizationBernardo Martinez Rocamora0Cagri Kilic1Christopher Tatsch2Guilherme A. S. Pereira3Jason N. Gross4Field and Aerial Robotics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United StatesNavigation Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United StatesInteractive Robotics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United StatesField and Aerial Robotics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United StatesNavigation Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United StatesThis paper presents a cooperative, multi-robot solution for searching, excavating, and transporting mineral resources on the Moon. Our work was developed in the context of the Space Robotics Challenge Phase 2 (SRCP2), which was part of the NASA Centennial Challenges and was motivated by the current NASA Artemis program, a flagship initiative that intends to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon. In the SRCP2 a group of simulated mobile robots was tasked with reporting volatile locations within a realistic lunar simulation environment, and excavating and transporting these resources to target locations in such an environment. In this paper, we describe our solution to the SRCP2 competition that includes our strategies for rover mobility hazard estimation (e.g. slippage level, stuck status), immobility recovery, rover-to-rover, and rover-to-infrastructure docking, rover coordination and cooperation, and cooperative task planning and autonomy. Our solution was able to successfully complete all tasks required by the challenge, granting our team sixth place among all participants of the challenge. Our results demonstrate the potential of using autonomous robots for autonomous in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon. Our results also highlight the effectiveness of realistic simulation environments for testing and validating robot autonomy and coordination algorithms. The successful completion of the SRCP2 challenge using our solution demonstrates the potential of cooperative, multi-robot systems for resource utilization on the Moon.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frobt.2023.1149080/fullmulti-robot systemsaerospace roboticsplanetary roversMoonautonomous lunar rover operations |
| spellingShingle | Bernardo Martinez Rocamora Cagri Kilic Christopher Tatsch Guilherme A. S. Pereira Jason N. Gross Multi-robot cooperation for lunar In-Situ resource utilization Frontiers in Robotics and AI multi-robot systems aerospace robotics planetary rovers Moon autonomous lunar rover operations |
| title | Multi-robot cooperation for lunar In-Situ resource utilization |
| title_full | Multi-robot cooperation for lunar In-Situ resource utilization |
| title_fullStr | Multi-robot cooperation for lunar In-Situ resource utilization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multi-robot cooperation for lunar In-Situ resource utilization |
| title_short | Multi-robot cooperation for lunar In-Situ resource utilization |
| title_sort | multi robot cooperation for lunar in situ resource utilization |
| topic | multi-robot systems aerospace robotics planetary rovers Moon autonomous lunar rover operations |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frobt.2023.1149080/full |
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