Eventos Anais de eventos
COBEM 2021
26th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering
Development of a High Fidelity Space Robot Gazebo-Based Simulator for Space Close-Proximity Operations Experiments
Submission Author:
Luiz Manoel Santos Santana , SP
Co-Authors:
Luiz Manoel Santos Santana, Marcos Maximo, Luiz Carlos Góes, Ijar DA FONSECA
Presenter: Luiz Manoel Santos Santana
doi://10.26678/ABCM.COBEM2021.COB2021-0620
Abstract
There is an increasing interest in robotic manipulators for orbital applications. This kind of unmanned robotic spacecraft can be used for maintenance and removal of satellites in orbit, docking, berthing, etc. Researchers often do experiments of space proximal operations to validate their control and navigation algorithms. In this context, a modern development process dictates that, before doing their experiments, it needs to create a high fidelity simulator of the robotic system. A high-fidelity simulator reduces the gap between the real and virtual world. Researchers may execute different tests with the virtual robot without running the risk of damaging equipment. A fidelity simulator allows a good control system gains tuning. The robot belonging to the Space Robotics Laboratory (LRE) of Aeronautics Institute of Technology (ITA) consists of a manipulator's arm with five degrees of freedom coupled to a free-float base. The movement of the robotic arm is provided by servomotors, whereas the movement of the base is provided by a compressed air propulsion system using six nozzles. The Space Robots Laboratory has the equipment to do experiments with space robot manipulators but has not yet a reliable space robot simulation model. This work contributes by developing a space robot simulation model using the Gazebo simulator. The model's interface uses the Robot Operating System (ROS) framework, which is largely used by the robotics community. Robot parts were modeled in an CAD software using the real dimensions. Mass properties were previously obtained through a balancing table. The physical parameters of the servomotors were obtained by system identification techniques. After implementation, this simulator can be used for training reinforcement learning algorithms or testing control laws and navigation algorithms applied in space robotics experiments.
Keywords
Space Robotics, Simulator, Gazebo, Robot Operating System, Robotics
