Passive Control of Attachment in Legged Space Robots

In the space environment the absence of gravity calls for constant safe attachment of any loose object, but the low-pressure conditions prohibit the use of glue-type adhesives. The attachment system of freely hunting spiders, e.g. Evarcha arcuata, employs van der Waals forces and mechanical interloc...

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Main Authors: Alessandro Gasparetto, Renato Vidoni, Tobias Seidl
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2010-01-01
Series:Applied Bionics and Biomechanics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11762320902940219
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author Alessandro Gasparetto
Renato Vidoni
Tobias Seidl
author_facet Alessandro Gasparetto
Renato Vidoni
Tobias Seidl
author_sort Alessandro Gasparetto
collection DOAJ
description In the space environment the absence of gravity calls for constant safe attachment of any loose object, but the low-pressure conditions prohibit the use of glue-type adhesives. The attachment system of freely hunting spiders, e.g. Evarcha arcuata, employs van der Waals forces and mechanical interlocking. Furthermore, detachment is achieved passively and requires little force. Hence, the spider serves as a model for a versatile legged robot for space applications, e.g. on the outer surface of a space station. In this paper, we analyse the dry attachment systems of E. arcuata and geckos as well as the kinematics of freely hunting spiders. We generalise the results of biological studies on spider locomotion and mobility, including the major movement and the position constraints set by the dry adhesion system. From these results, we define a simplified spider model and study the overall kinematics of the legs both in flight and in contact with the surface. The kinematic model, the data on spider gait characteristics and the adhesion constraints are implemented in a kinematic simulator. The simulator results confirm the principal functionality of our concept.
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institution Kabale University
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spelling doaj-art-21b8d1e3201f4e5c9b1285d679c897fe2025-02-03T05:49:32ZengWileyApplied Bionics and Biomechanics1176-23221754-21032010-01-0171698110.1080/11762320902940219Passive Control of Attachment in Legged Space RobotsAlessandro Gasparetto0Renato Vidoni1Tobias Seidl2DIEGM, Department of Electrical, Management and Mechanical Engineering, University of Udine, Via delle Scienze, Udine, ItalyDIEGM, Department of Electrical, Management and Mechanical Engineering, University of Udine, Via delle Scienze, Udine, ItalyAdvanced Concepts Team, European Space Agency, AZ Noordwijk, NetherlandsIn the space environment the absence of gravity calls for constant safe attachment of any loose object, but the low-pressure conditions prohibit the use of glue-type adhesives. The attachment system of freely hunting spiders, e.g. Evarcha arcuata, employs van der Waals forces and mechanical interlocking. Furthermore, detachment is achieved passively and requires little force. Hence, the spider serves as a model for a versatile legged robot for space applications, e.g. on the outer surface of a space station. In this paper, we analyse the dry attachment systems of E. arcuata and geckos as well as the kinematics of freely hunting spiders. We generalise the results of biological studies on spider locomotion and mobility, including the major movement and the position constraints set by the dry adhesion system. From these results, we define a simplified spider model and study the overall kinematics of the legs both in flight and in contact with the surface. The kinematic model, the data on spider gait characteristics and the adhesion constraints are implemented in a kinematic simulator. The simulator results confirm the principal functionality of our concept.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11762320902940219
spellingShingle Alessandro Gasparetto
Renato Vidoni
Tobias Seidl
Passive Control of Attachment in Legged Space Robots
Applied Bionics and Biomechanics
title Passive Control of Attachment in Legged Space Robots
title_full Passive Control of Attachment in Legged Space Robots
title_fullStr Passive Control of Attachment in Legged Space Robots
title_full_unstemmed Passive Control of Attachment in Legged Space Robots
title_short Passive Control of Attachment in Legged Space Robots
title_sort passive control of attachment in legged space robots
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/11762320902940219
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AT renatovidoni passivecontrolofattachmentinleggedspacerobots
AT tobiasseidl passivecontrolofattachmentinleggedspacerobots