Abstract
The development of autonomous robotic systems is a key component in the expansion of space exploration and the development of infrastructures for in-space applications. An important capability for these robotic systems is the ability to maintain and repair structures in the absence of human input by autonomously generating valid task sequences and task to robot allocations. To this end, a novel stochastic problem formulation paired with a mixed integer programming assembly schedule generator has been developed to articulate the elements, constraints, and state of an assembly project and solve for an optimal assembly schedule. The developed formulations were tested with a set of hardware experiments that included generating an optimal schedule for an assembly and rescheduling during an assembly to plan a repair. This formulation and validation work provides a path forward for future research in the development of an autonomous system capable of building and maintaining in-space infrastructures.
Highlights
IntroductionAs the exploration of space continues to develop, many opportunities arise to advance the current understanding of celestial objects, develop and deploy new experiments, and harness natural resources that have far been inaccessible
Locations for parts and designations for where assembly steps must take place must be included in the formulation to allow the schedule generation algorithm to include spatial considerations in the task sequencing and robot to task allocation
The mixed integer programming (MIP) schedule generator was able to take these elements and constraints to solve for an optimal schedule which proved to be more optimal to follow than an alternative, less informed, viable scheduling policy
Summary
As the exploration of space continues to develop, many opportunities arise to advance the current understanding of celestial objects, develop and deploy new experiments, and harness natural resources that have far been inaccessible. From building telescopes and space structures too large to launch from Earth [Belvin et al (2016); Karumanchi et al (2018); Roa et al (2020)] to building structures for human habitation on Mars or the Lunar surface [Thangavelautham et al (2020)], the use of robotic workforces will be instrumental in achieving the steps in space exploration. These applications will require robotic systems capable of constructing, maintaining, and repairing infrastructures in conditions with limited input from humans.
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