Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to McQuin, Christopher.
A BiBlade sampler may include a first blade and a second blade in a retracted position. The BiBlade sampler may also include a gripper, which is driven by an actuator. The gripper may include a plurality of fingers to force the first blade and the second blade to remain in a retracted position. When the fingers are unhooked, the first blade and the second blade penetrate a surface of an object.
Using the highly articulated All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) robotic mobility system as a precision positioning tool, a variety of print head technologies can be used to 3D print large-scale in-situ structures on planetary surfaces such as the moon or Mars. In effect, in the same way CAD models can be printed in a 3D printer, large-scale structures such as walls, vaults, domes, berms, paving, trench walls, and other insitu derived elements can be FAXed to the planetary surface and built in advance of the arrival of crews, supplementing equipment and materials brought from earth. This paper discusses the ATHLETE system as a mobility / positioning platform, and presents several options for large-scale additive print head technologies, including tunable microwave "sinterator" approaches and in-situ concrete deposition. The paper also discusses potential applications, such as sintered-in-place habitat shells, radiation shielding, road paving, modular bricks, and prefabricated construction components.