IEEE Robotics and Automation Society
Space Robotics Technical Committee

The Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) Technical Committee (TC) on Space Robotics was formed in May, 2006. In October, 2006, the membership voted to broaden the scope of interest of our TC to include planetary robotics (rovers) along with our initial focus on in-space (orbital) robotics.

1. Overview

ORBITAL ROBOTICS

The Dextre robot on the International Space Station

The space (orbital) environment (micro-gravity, radiation, contamination sensitivity, thermal extremes, etc.) poses unique challenges to robotics and robot algorithms. The space (non-planetary) robotics discipline will find increasing importance in coming years, particularly as the opportunities for human-robot and robot-robot cooperation arise in space exploration. Priority areas for this technical committee include:

· Electromechanical design and control.

· Micro-gravity locomotion.

· Machine vision for inspection and assembly, including compensation for stark lighting, glare, glint, and deep shadows.

· Command and control interfaces, including teleoperated modes.

· Power sources and consumable recharging techniques.

· Radiation hardening and effects on processing throughput.

· Thermal considerations in space robot design.

PLANETARY ROVERS

Artist’s conception of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory operating on the planet.

The planetary environment also poses unique challenges. The distance to planetary surfaces precludes real-time teleoperation. Planetary rover technical topics include:

· Sensing and perception for planetary exploration, including terrain-relative precision position estimation.

· Above-surface, surface, and sub-surface planetary mobility, possibly from novel vehicle design concepts.

· Command and control with limited bandwidth, requiring autonomous surface operations including natural terrain navigation and manipulation.

· Planetary rovers systems engineering

· Testing and qualification, including field tests on Earth and Mars.

· Human-Robot systems

2. Future Activities

2011

1. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), San Francisco, California, USA. 25-29 September 2011.

o Workshop on Space Robotics Simulation

2. Challenges in Robotics: Down to Earth, An International Symposium on Robotics and Mechatroncis, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, Germany, 21-22 November 2011.

2012

1. IEEE/AIAA Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, Montana, USA, 3-10 March 2012.
Special sessions, including “2.07 – Mobility and Robotics Systems for In Situ Exploration”.

2. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, St. Paul, Minnesota, 14-18 May 2012.

o Proposed workshops on satellite servicing and long duration autonomy.

3. International Conference on Field and Service Robotics, Matsushima, Miyagi, Japan, 16-19 July 2012.

4. International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation in Space (i-SAIRAS), Turin, Italy, late summer 2012.

3. Past Activities

2011

1. Space Robotics Workshop, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Shanghai, China, 13 May 2011.

2. IEEE/AIAA Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, Montana, USA, 5-12 March 2011.
Special sessions, including “2.07 – Mobility and Robotics Systems for In Situ Exploration”.

2010

1. Japan-U.S. Technology and Space Applications (JUSTSAP), Island of Hawaii, USA 14-18 November 2010. Symposium was attended by SRTC member Rick Wagner, who provided a report.

2. Planetary Rovers Workshop, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Anchorage AK, 3 May 2010.

3. Space Robotics TC Triennial Report, May 2010.

2009

1. IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, Special Issue on Space Robotics. Editors: Richard Volpe, Rick Wagner, Gianfranco Visentin. Volume 16, No. 4. December 2009.

2008

1. Planetary Rovers Workshop, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Pasadena CA, 19 May 2008.

2. Orbital Robotics Workshop, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Pasadena CA, 20 May 2008.

2007

1. Space Robotics Workshop, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Rome Italy, 14 April 2007.

2. Presentation of the RAS Space Robotics TC to the AIAA SARTC meeting at NASA Ames Research Center on September 19, 2006. See a report on the meeting.

4. Background

Founding date: May 19, 2006

Committee Chairs as of 2010:

Dimi Apostolopoulos, Carnegie Mellon University.
Richard Volpe, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech.
Kazuya Yoshida, Tohoku University.

Membership:

Current membership is 28. Please see the membership page for more details.
To join, send an email to the committee chairs listed above.

5. Links