Browsing by Author "Martin, Joshua"
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Item Development and Testing of the BioBot EVA Support System(51st International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/10/2022) Hanner, Charles; Bolatto, Nicolas; Martin, Joshua; Gribok, Daniil; Akin, DavidWith the resumption of human lunar exploration and plans for eventual Mars landings, extravehicular activities (EVAs) in gravitational environments will again become a primary focus. Geological exploration in early missions will require daily EVAs, rather than the roughly monthly sorties on International Space Station. Even in the reduced gravity of the Moon, EVA system weight on the crew will be the predominant factor in crew performance, fatigue, and safety; the largest single item of which is the weight of the portable life support system. Under NASA NIAC sponsorship, the University of Maryland has been investigating the �BioBot� concept, using a highly capable rover to accompany each EVA crew, carrying their life support system and supplying necessary consumables via a robotically-tended umbilical. During the NIAC Phase 2 effort, a prototype BioBot system has been developed to explore the concept of remotely-tended life support. Field testing accomplished to date includes extended simulated geological traverses performed both with BioBot and with a simulated �conventional� EVA backpack-mounted PLSS. These tests examine the trade-off between decreased on-suit life support weight and increased untethered activity duration in geological and base-servicing scenarios, as early studies have shown the desirability of giving the crew the option to disconnect from the umbilical and perform short traverses untethered from BioBot. This paper presents an overview of the BioBot concept and results from field testing to date, including specifics of the component systems: the rover itself, capable of traversing any terrain suitable for walking in EVA; a robotic umbilical tending system; a spacesuit simulator capable of interfacing to the umbilical, but with some onboard life support to support independent operations as needed; and the sensors, algorithms, and software to provide robust and safe autonomous robotic operations in the vicinity of an EVA crew.Item Development of an Autonomous Umbilical Tending System for Rover-Supported Surface EVAs(51st International Conference on Environmental Systems, 7/10/2022) Bolatto, Nicolas; Fink, Robert; Martin, Joshua; Lachance, Zachary; Vishnoi, Rahul; Akin, DavidFor surface extravehicular activities, no parameter is more impactful on the design of spacesuits than the "weight on the back," or the weight of the suit system that must be supported by the astronaut under gravity. The portable life support system (PLSS) alone has nearly doubled the weight on the astronaut historically, significantly increasing the exertion required to conduct manned surface activities and drastically curtailing the range of motion of the astronaut due to the movement of the center of mass rearwards and upwards. Both of these negatively affect EVA performance of astronauts; as a result, the capability to offload an astronaut's PLSS would be of great benefit to future EVA operations. The University of Maryland Space Systems Laboratory has been investigating one potential solution to this via its "BioBot" concept, supported by the NASA NIAC program. The overall concept is of a rover carrying the life support system for the EVA crew and supplying consumables via umbilicals. This paper will focus on the critical technology to make this approach viable: the umbilical-handling robot and its associated rover-mounted life support hardware. The robotic manipulator must support both its own weight and that of the umbilical, while keeping close enough to the EVA crew to eliminate the need for additional slack which could snag the umbilical on surface features. This paper details the design of the umbilical-handling robot, which must function as an Earth analog system for human factors testing, and the designs of the umbilical, suit disconnect, and Earth analog life support system. Additionally, this paper describes the sensors and algorithms for smoothly blended motion between the manipulator and the rover, as well as the design implications for the astronaut-following rover itself. Test results to date are also presented and future design modifications discussed.