The goal of the Robonaut 2 (R2) Technology Project Element within Human Robotic Systems (HRS) is to developed advanced technologies for infusion into the Robonaut 2 project leading to new capabilities for Robonaut. In FY14, HRS and the Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM) Human Exploration Telerobotics (HET) will collaborate to deliver a mobile IVA Robonaut 2 to ISS.

During 2014, the “Robonaut 2 Technologies” project element will develop two technologies:

• Mobile IVA Robonaut 2
• Natural User Interfaces for Advanced Telerobotic Operations

The primary work area in this project element is to contribute to sending a mobile IVA Robonaut to the International Space Station (ISS) and to begin using it as a mobile system.  The main area where HRS will contribute to Robonaut 2 in FY14 will be in the area of battery development.  HRS will perform component testing of the engineering development unit (EDU) and complete assembly of the certification unit battery. The development will eventually lead to a robotic system moving and working safely in the same space as Astronauts on ISS. 

The second work area under this project element will be to use body-tracking input devices (i.e. Microsoft Xbox Kinect and accelerometer gloves) to immerse an operator in an accurate virtual model of the robot’s environment, capture the intent of the operator, and safely execute mobility and manipulation tasks suitable for platforms such as Robonaut 2. Initially, the operator’s head position will be tracked in order to render an appropriate point of view in the virtual environment. Next, model-based recognizers will be developed and trained to detect gestures by the human operator and trigger autonomous behaviors on the robotic system. Initial efforts will use the Kinect sensor, with additional potential investigations into other similar or complementary sensors.

In FY14, development will focus on further extending our natural user interface system to address the concurrent operation of manipulation and mobility aspects of hybrid robotic systems such as Robonaut 2 with legs (ground only in FY14) or an ATHLETE robot driving while manipulating a payload.

During 2014, the Robotic ISRU Resource Acquisition project element will develop two technologies:

• Exploration Ground Data Systems (xGDS)
• Sample Acquisition on Asteroids, Mars, Moons of Mars, and Lunar Cold Traps

A primary technology of this element is development of HRS’s Exploration Ground Data Systems (xGDS) software, a set of planning, monitoring, archiving, and search tools for dealing with data sent to or received from robotic spacecraft or crew systems.  xGDS is being matured through technology development under HRS (with STMD funds) and field-tested with funds from the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) and Science Mission Directorate (SMD).  The outcome of this development will be that the desired parts of the xGDS system (likely the traverse planner, real time plotting, and raster mapping tools) will be ready to be infused into the lunar Resource Prospector Mission (RPM).  The scope of FY14 xGDS work includes maturing time delayed image and video processing and archiving tools and adding support for mobile devices.  During 2014, xGDS will support the AES-funded Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) payload thermal vacuum chamber testing the SMD-funded Mojave Volatiles Prospector (MVP) project. 

Another technology under this element will develop regolith sampling and excavation for reduced and low gravity environments.  The objective for this work in FY14 is to acquire representative samples of target bodies in order to characterize the regolith for ISRU prospecting purposes which would also benefit science objectives and other relevant Strategic Knowledge Gaps (SKG’s). The requirements of the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) lunar Resource Prospector (RP) are focused on a lunar South pole mission near the impact site of the recent Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission in order to obtain ground truth on the lunar surface.  Orbital data from neutron spectrometers shows that most of the detected hydrogen on the moon is in these crater floor cold traps. The goal is to confirm the existence of volatiles such as water, hydrogen and helium in the regolith at the lunar poles.  Other target bodies such as asteroids and Mars’ moons will also need prospecting and characterization. One of the primary potential uses of the returned asteroid in the Asteroid Initiative is for ISRU demonstrations in lunar orbit.  Sampling devices will be needed to prospect the asteroid for useful resources, such as water on a carbonaceous condrite. The Mars’ moons and Mars itself are also of interest for ISRU purposes and can be sampled with robotic devices or by human crews to determine the ISRU value of their regolith.

Regolith excavation and sample acquisition in low gravity environments ( micro-G, 1/3 G, 1/6th G) is difficult due to the lack of reaction force from the weight of the excavation robot.  On Earth, excavators are typically large and heavy to take advantage of this large reaction force to counter-act the digging forces. In space, new methods of digging and sampling must be found, due to their light weight in low gravity environments.  Percussive excavation is one method for reducing digging forces, and in FY14, the HRS project will test interfaces for a large percussive excavation end effector: the Vibratory Implement for Percussive Excavation of Regolith (VIPER) which is designed to be mounted on the All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) robot from JPL. The VIPER was designed and fabricated by HRS. A smaller percussive excavation implement called Badger, will be operated on the Centaur 2 mobility robot with a positioning mechanism. Firs