Development of Curving Excavation Method for a Lunar Subsurface Excavation Robot With a Peristaltic Crawling Mechanism

Abstract

We have been developed an excavation robot for lunar underground exploration. The movement method of this robot is based on the peristaltic crawling of the earthworm that can move stably. In our previous study, we demonstrate that the robot can excavate down to 938 mm. However, the robot can only straightly excavate. If it can excavate while curving, the range of exploration of the robot expands. Therefore, in this paper, we develop curving excavation method in this robot. Firstly, we propose a curving excavation method, and model this method. Secondly, design the necessary propulsion units to realize the method. Finally, we conducted experiments to confirm curving motion using a robot equipped with the designed unit and evaluate the performance of the proposed method.