接触屈性を模倣した適応的巻き付きによる軌道上非協力物体捕獲機構の研究

抄録

When capturing space debris, which is a non-cooperative object, there is not always a place where it can be grasped. Some capture mechanisms that wrap around the entire target are proposed. However, these mechanisms have a problem of failing in grasping due to the difficulty in predicting the motion in advance. The authors focused on "thigmotropism," a movement in the direction of growth that occurs as a mechanosensory response to a touch stimulus such as tendrils. This property can be used to wrap and capture debris adaptively. The authors have proposed a multi-link arm mechanism that consists of modules that operate by detecting contact and designed an operation algorithm to realize a thigmotropism-like adaptive capture. In this paper, a concept of this device and a design and prototype development of the mechanism are discussed.