Design and Experiments of a Bio-Inspired Tensegrity Spine Robot for Active Space Debris Capturing
Apr 1, 2021·,,,,,·
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Xiaogang Feng
Zhigang Wu
Zijie Wang
Jiahui Luo
Xiaoming Xu
Zhoujingzi Qiu
Abstract
Aiming at active space debris capturing, this paper proposes a novel tensegrity spine robot, inspired by the structure and mechanism of vertebrates’ spine. It consists of a series of conical rigid elements, which are linked with springs and stabilized in a tension network. The continuous bending of the robot is achieved by the actuation of three sets of cables. A prototype is built and a closed-loop control method is proposed for proof-of-concept experiments, including bending motion control, capturing a non-cooperative target, and tests of load performance. The experimental results show that the proposed tensegrity spine robot has potential application prospects in space debris capturing.
Type
Publication
Journal of Physics: Conference Series