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Lightweight Robot Arm for Capturing Large Space Debris



Author(s)

Shin-Ichiro Nishida, Daisuke Uenaka, Ryota Matsumoto and Shintaro Nakatani

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2223/2018.06.004

Effective measures to mitigate space debris are urgently required. Active removal of space debris presents the most effective measures. This study examines a micro robotic satellite with a simple robot arm for active space debris removal. In this study, the details of a proposed active space debris removal system with a robot arm are proposed. The robot arm has flexible joints and a control method to capture the target. The results of feasibility studies, the performance assumed at each step, the prototyping of the capturing robot arm with flexible joints and with a new end-effecter, and their experiment result are presented.

Space debris, active removal, robot, control, capture