Description du projet
Coopération multirobots pour construire sur la lune
Explorer l’espace nécessite des ressources nombreuses et diverses. L’exploration prolongée doit s’articuler autour d’une base sûre afin de répondre aux besoins de survie et de permettre la réalisation des tests scientifiques. Or, emporter tout ce dont nous avons besoin à ces fins est non seulement coûteux mais aussi très risqué. Pour résoudre le problème des ressources dans l’espace, le projet PRO-ACT, financé par l’UE, prévoit la mise en œuvre d’une coopération multirobots qui soutiendra de futures activités spatiales humaines sur la lune. Plus précisément, il s’agira de développer et de démontrer les capacités de coopération et de manipulation de trois robots pour une utilisation des ressources sur site. Pour tester des conditions similaires à celles de la lune, le projet s’appuiera sur les résultats de certains de ses prédécesseurs.
Objectif
The proposal addresses the establishment, with the support of mobile robotic platforms, of a precursor lunar base with essential capabilities in preparation to commercial exploitation of in-situ resources by assembling an ISRU resource extraction and utilization system will be essential for the establishment of future human settlement. It will in particular include the extraction of oxygen from regolith to serve as oxidizer for fuel and for artificial atmosphere generation within habitats, and 3D printing of relevant structures using regolith (with or without adjuvant, depending on printing strategy) for construction purpose – e.g. tiles for landing pad and roads, panels for berms, elements for shelters.
The primary objective of PRO-ACT is to implement and demonstrate multi-robot cooperation capabilities in a moon construction context, relying on, extending and integrating the outcomes of OG1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Accordingly PRO-ACT will:
- Review, extend and integrate ESROCOS, ERGO, InFuse, I3DS and SIROM outcomes as part of a comprehensive multi-robot system, in a meaningful moon construction scenario.
- Develop robust multi-robot cooperation capabilities allowing joint interventions (including navigation in close vicinity and joint manipulation actions) in mixed structured / unstructured environment. Make the capabilities available within a CREW module, integrated along with ERGO, InFuse and ESROCOS.
- Perform the customization of existing mobile robotic platforms and prepare facilities (moon analogue) for performing tests and demonstrations in a selection of relevant, partially representative scenarios of moon construction activities in relation to (1) ISRU capabilities establishment and (2) preparing dust mitigation surfaces (3) assembling and deploying a gantry/3D printer. As a baseline, TRL 4 to 5 is aimed at (depending on scenarios subparts).
- Perform needed tests and demonstrations in Lunar analogues to validate the newly developed capabilities.
Champ scientifique
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyplanetary sciencesnatural satellites
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringrobotics
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuels
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineeringadditive manufacturing
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinateur
1932 Zaventem
Belgique
L’entreprise s’est définie comme une PME (petite et moyenne entreprise) au moment de la signature de la convention de subvention.