Morphable Beam Device and Beam Shape Generation Algorithm

Abstract

To conduct remote inspection missions, an experimental device using a flexible beam without any articulated joints was developed and it is called Morphable Beam Device (MBD). A beam is deployed, enabling a wide range of shapes and lengths in a microgravity environment for various space applications, such as an inspection device, a crew support device and a variable geometry beam member of space structures. In this paper, a beam shape modeling made by the MBD considering retro-bending and beam shape generation algorithms are described, and feasibility of the proposed methods are demonstrated.