Rover Wheel-Actuated Tool

Tag : Socket Wrench

A report describes an interface for utilizing some of the mobilityfeatures of a mobile robot for general-purpose manipulation oftools and other objects. The robot in question, now undergoingconceptual development for use on the Moon, is the All-TerrainHex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) rover, which isdesigned to roll over gentle terrain or walk over rough or steepterrain. Each leg of the robot is a six-degree-of-freedomgeneralpurpose manipulator tipped by a wheel with a motor drive.The tool interface includes a square cross-section peg, equivalentto a conventional socket-wrench drive, that rotates with the wheel.The tool interface also includes a clamp that holds a tool on thepeg, and a pair of fold-out cameras that provides close-upstereoscopic images of the tool and its vicinity. The field of viewof the imagers is actuated by the clamp mechanism and is specificto each tool. The motor drive can power any of a variety of tools,including rotating tools for helical fasteners, drills, and suchclamping tools as pliers. With the addition of a flexible coupling,it could also power another tool or remote manipulator at a shortdistance. The socket drive can provide very high torque and powerbecause it is driven by the wheel motor.