Leg Configuration and Gait Planning Study for the ISS Intra-Vehicular Mobile Robot

Abstract

Intra-Vehicular mobile robots are expected to assist astronauts in their work on the International Space Station (ISS) or future lunar gateway. Since such robots are required to carry cargo, open and close hatches, they need a articulated mechanisms for manipulating them and fixing the robot itself. In our laboratory, we have been developing a four-limbed climbing robot for moving while grasping the terrain surface with grippers mounted on the leg tips. In this paper, based on this legged climbing robot, we examine a leg configuration and gait planning method for a legged robot that can walk along the handrail in the ISS, and verify the proposed method by simulation.