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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

A prototype supervised intelligent robot for helping astronauts

The development status is described of a prototype supervised intelligent robot for space application for purposes of (1) helping the crew of a spacecraft such as the Space Station with various tasks such as holding objects and retrieving/replacing tools and other objects from/into storage, and for purposes of (2) retrieving detached objects, such as equipment or crew, that have become separated from their spacecraft. In addition to this set of tasks in this low Earth orbiting spacecraft environment, it is argued that certain aspects of the technology can be viewed as generic in approach, thereby offering insight into intelligent robots for other tasks and environments. Also described are characterization results on the usable reduced gravity environment in an aircraft flying parabolas (to simulate weightlessness) and results on hardware performance there. These results show it is feasible to use that environment for evaluative testing of dexterous grasping based on real-time visual sensing of freely rotating and translating objects.

Erickson, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1997

STS-85 Day 05 Highlights

On this fifth day of the STS-85 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. Curtis L. Brown, Jr., Pilot Kent V. Rominger, Payload Cmdr. N. Jan Davis (Ph.D.), Mission Specialists Robert L. Curbeam, Jr. and Stephen K. Robinson (Ph.D.), and Payload Specialist Bjarni V. Tryggvason once again test the small robotic arm serving as a prototype for one that will fly as part of the Japanese Experiment Module on the International Space Station. Simulated orbital replacement unit detachment and reattachment will be the focus. Bob Curbeam discusses the progress of the flight with a television station in St Louis, before continuing his work with the Bioreactor Demonstration System designed to perform cell biology experiments under controlled conditions. Immediately after Curbeam's interview, Canadian Payload Specialist Bjarni Tryggvason is set to talk to elementary and high school students at a summer camp in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1997

Studies Relating to EVA

In this session, Session JA1, the discussion focuses on the following topics: The Staged Decompression to the Hypobaric Atmosphere as a Prophylactic Measure Against Decompression Sickness During Repetitive EVA; A New Preoxygenation Procedure for Extravehicular Activity (EVA); Metabolic Assessments During Extra-Vehicular Activity; Evaluation of Safety of Hypobaric Decompressions and EVA From Positions of Probabilistic Theory; Fatty Acid Composition of Plasma Lipids and Erythrocyte Membranes During Simulation of Extravehicular Activity; Biomedical Studies Relating to Decompression Stress with Simulated EVA, Overview; The Joint Angle and Muscle Signature (JAMS) System - Current Uses and Future Applications; and Experimental Investigation of Cooperative Human-Robotic Roles in an EVA Work Site.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2011

LIDAR-Aided Inertial Navigation with Extended Kalman Filtering for Pinpoint Landing

In support of NASA s Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology (ALHAT) project, an extended Kalman filter routine has been developed for estimating the position, velocity, and attitude of a spacecraft during the landing phase of a planetary mission. The proposed filter combines measurements of acceleration and angular velocity from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) with range and Doppler velocity observations from an onboard light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system. These high-precision LIDAR measurements of distance to the ground and approach velocity will enable both robotic and manned vehicles to land safely and precisely at scientifically interesting sites. The filter has been extensively tested using a lunar landing simulation and shown to improve navigation over flat surfaces or rough terrain. Experimental results from a helicopter flight test performed at NASA Dryden in August 2008 demonstrate that LIDAR can be employed to significantly improve navigation based exclusively on IMU integration.

Busnardo, David M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Entry, Descent and Landing Systems Analysis: Exploration Feed Forward Internal Peer Review Slide Package

NASA senior management commissioned the Entry, Descent and Landing Systems Analysis (EDL-SA) Study in 2008 to identify and roadmap the Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) technology investments that the agency needed to successfully land large payloads at Mars for both robotic and human-scale missions. Year 1 of the study focused on technologies required for Exploration-class missions to land payloads of 10 to 50 mt. Inflatable decelerators, rigid aeroshell and supersonic retro-propulsion emerged as the top candidate technologies. In Year 2 of the study, low TRL technologies identified in Year 1, inflatables aeroshells and supersonic retropropulsion, were combined to create a demonstration precursor robotic mission. This part of the EDL-SA Year 2 effort, called Exploration Feed Forward (EFF), took much of the systems analysis simulation and component model development from Year 1 to the next level of detail.

Dwyer Cianciolo, Alicia M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Entry, Descent and Landing Systems Analysis Study: Phase 2 Report on Exploration Feed-Forward Systems

NASA senior management commissioned the Entry, Descent and Landing Systems Analysis (EDL-SA) Study in 2008 to identify and roadmap the Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) technology investments that the agency needed to successfully land large payloads at Mars for both robotic and human-scale missions. Year 1 of the study focused on technologies required for Exploration-class missions to land payloads of 10 to 50 t. Inflatable decelerators, rigid aeroshell and supersonic retro-propulsion emerged as the top candidate technologies. In Year 2 of the study, low TRL technologies identified in Year 1, inflatables aeroshells and supersonic retropropulsion, were combined to create a demonstration precursor robotic mission. This part of the EDL-SA Year 2 effort, called Exploration Feed Forward (EFF), took much of the systems analysis simulation and component model development from Year 1 to the next level of detail.

Dwyer Ciancolo, Alicia M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Investigation of Transonic Wake Dynamics for Mechanically Deployable Entry Systems

A numerical investigation of transonic flow around a mechanically deployable entry system being considered for a robotic mission to Venus has been performed, and preliminary results are reported. The flow around a conceptual representation of the vehicle geometry was simulated at discrete points along a ballistic trajectory using Detached Eddy Simulation (DES). The trajectory points selected span the low supersonic to transonic regimes with freestream Mach numbers from 1:5 to 0:8, and freestream Reynolds numbers (based on diameter) between 2:09 x 10(exp 6) and 2:93 x 10(exp 6). Additionally, the Mach 0:8 case was simulated at angles of attack between 0 and 5 . Static aerodynamic coefficients obtained from the data show qualitative agreement with data from 70deg sphere-cone wind tunnel tests performed for the Viking program. Finally, the effect of choices of models and numerical algorithms is addressed by comparing the DES results to those using a Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model, as well as to results using a more dissipative numerical scheme.

Stern, Eric↗
NASA NTRS1997

Simulation of the Predictive Control Algorithm for Container Crane Operation using Matlab Fuzzy Logic Tool Box

This research has investigated the use of fuzzy logic, via the Matlab Fuzzy Logic Tool Box, to design optimized controller systems. The engineering system for which the controller was designed and simulate was the container crane. The fuzzy logic algorithm that was investigated was the 'predictive control' algorithm. The plant dynamics of the container crane is representative of many important systems including robotic arm movements. The container crane that was investigated had a trolley motor and hoist motor. Total distance to be traveled by the trolley was 15 meters. The obstruction height was 5 meters. Crane height was 17.8 meters. Trolley mass was 7500 kilograms. Load mass was 6450 kilograms. Maximum trolley and rope velocities were 1.25 meters per sec. and 0.3 meters per sec., respectively. The fuzzy logic approach allowed the inclusion, in the controller model, of performance indices that are more effectively defined in linguistic terms. These include 'safety' and 'cargo swaying'. Two fuzzy inference systems were implemented using the Matlab simulation package, namely the Mamdani system (which relates fuzzy input variables to fuzzy output variables), and the Sugeno system (which relates fuzzy input variables to crisp output variable). It is found that the Sugeno FIS is better suited to including aspects of those plant dynamics whose mathematical relationships can be determined.

Richardson, Albert O.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Driving macro-scale transformations in three-dimensional-printed biopolymers through controlled induction of molecular anisotropy at the nanoscale

Motivated by the need to harness the properties of renewable and biodegradable polymers for the design and manufacturing of multi-scale structures with complex geometries, we have employed our additive manufacturing platform that leverages molecular self-assembly for the production of metre-scale structures characterized by complex geometries and heterogeneous material composition. As a precursor material, we used chitosan, a chemically modified form of chitin, an abundant and sustainable structural polysaccharide. We demonstrate the ability to control concentration-dependent crystallization as well as the induction of the preferred orientation of the polymer chains through the combination of extrusion-based robotic fabrication and directional toolpathing. Anisotropy is demonstrated and assessed through high-resolution micro-X-ray diffraction in conjunction with finite element simulations. Using this approach, we can leverage controlled and user-defined small-scale propagation of residual stresses to induce large-scale folding of the resulting structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1987

Potential benefits of magnetic suspension and balance systems

The potential of Magnetic Suspension and Balance Systems (MSBS) to improve conventional wind tunnel testing techniques is discussed. Topics include: elimination of model geometry distortion and support interference to improve the measurement accuracy of aerodynamic coefficients; removal of testing restrictions due to supports; improved dynamic stability data; and stores separation testing. Substantial increases in wind tunnel productivity are anticipated due to the coalescence of these improvements. Specific improvements in testing methods for missiles, helicopters, fighter aircraft, twin fuselage transports and bombers, state separation, water tunnels, and automobiles are also forecast. In a more speculative vein, new wind tunnel test techniques are envisioned as a result of applying MSBS, including free-flight computer trajectories in the test section, pilot-in-the-loop and designer-in-the-loop testing, shipboard missile launch simulation, and optimization of hybrid hypersonic configurations. Also addressed are potential applications of MSBS to such diverse technologies as medical research and practice, industrial robotics, space weaponry, and ore processing in space.

Lawing, Pierce L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Modified hybrid control of robot manipulators for high precision assembly operations

This paper is concerned with applications of robot manipulators in high precision assembly tasks that can be successfully performed by employing a hybrid control scheme that independently controls force and position. A traditional hybrid control scheme is implemented in Cartesian space. In the modified hybrid control scheme introduced in this paper, the error driven control signals are expressed in joint space. This paper studies the implementation of the modified hybrid control scheme on a two-degree-of-freedom robot manipulator with a closed-kinematic chain mechanism. The performance of the traditional and modified hybrid control schemes is comparatively evaluated by computer simulation in terms of computation time and accuracy for several study cases.

Nguyen, Charles C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

LaRC computational dynamics overview

Present research centers on the development of advanced computational methods for transient simulation analyses. Aircraft, launch vehicles and space structure components are potential applications, but primary focus is presently on large space structures. There are both in-house and out-of-house activities. The in-house activity centers around the development of a multibody simulation tool for truss-like structures called LATDYN for Large Angle Transient DYNamics. Multibody analysis involves articulation of structural components as well as robotic maneuvers. These items are necessary for construction (erection or deployment) of large space structures in orbit and the carrying out of certain operations on board the space station. Thus, part of the in-house activity involves the development of methods which treat the changing mass, stiffness and constraints associated with articulating systems. The out-of-house activity involves subcycling, development of large deformation/motion beam formulation, constraint stabilization and direct time integration transient algorithms in parallel computing.

Husner, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Order (n) DISCOS for multibody systems with gear reduction

Recent developments in O(n) algorithms (where n is the number of bodies in the system) and parallel processing have drastically reduced the computer time needed to simulate systems involving many bodies. This paper presents a gear-reduction model for the O(n) version of DISCOS, a standard software package for simulation and analysis of flexible multibody systems. The gear-reduction model allows the accurate modeling of harmonic drives, which are commonly used in robot joints. The formulation has been implemented and validated with known results. The gear model can also be used for gear-train, rack-and-pinion, and screw joints.

Chun, Hon M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Hand controller commonality evaluation process

A hand controller evaluation process has been developed to determine the appropriate hand controller configurations for supporting remotely controlled devices. These devices include remote manipulator systems (RMS), dexterous robots, and remotely-piloted free flyers. Standard interfaces were developed to evaluate six different hand controllers in three test facilities including dynamic computer simulations, kinematic computer simulations, and physical simulations. The hand controllers under consideration were six degree-of-freedom (DOF) position and rate minimaster and joystick controllers, and three-DOF rate controllers. Task performance data, subjective comments, and anthropometric data obtained during tests were used for controller configuration recommendations to the SSF Program.

Stuart, Mark A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The NASA Ames Controlled Environment Research Chamber - Present status

The Controlled Environment Research Chamber (CERC) at the NASA Ames Research Center was created for early-on investigation of promising new technologies for life support of advanced space exploration missions. The CERC facility is being used to address the advanced technology requirements necessary to implement an integrated working and living environment for a planetary habitat. The CERC, along with a human-powered centrifuge, a planetary terrain simulator, advanced displays, and a virtual reality capability, is able to develop and demonstrate applicable technologies for future planetary exploration. There will be several robotic mechanisms performing exploration taskes external to the habitat that will be controlled through the virtual environment to provide representative workloads for the crew. Finally, there will be a discussion of innovative new multidisciplinary test facilities, and how effective they are to the investigation of the wide range of human and machine problems inherent in exploration missions.

Gross, Anthony R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Human-Centered Design for the Personal Satellite Assistant

The Personal Satellite Assistant (PSA) is a softball-sized flying robot designed to operate autonomously onboard manned spacecraft in pressurized micro-gravity environments. We describe how the Brahms multi-agent modeling and simulation environment in conjunction with a KAoS agent teamwork approach can be used to support human-centered design for the PSA.

Bradshaw, Jeffrey M.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Performance Robustness of Manipulator Collision Controller

In this paper, we propose that the manipulator impact control problem be approached from a stochastic optimal control perspective. The reason is that not only is such approach be able to model uncertainties in contact environment, force sensing, as well as manipulator dynamics, the controllers obtained is optimally robust in terms of performance. This result is verified by analyses and simulations.

model uncertainties contact environment force sens↗