Work

Design and control of on-orbit assembly crawling robot for large space structure

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This paper proposes a design and control scheme for a vision-based tri-pedal crawling robot system for collaborative on-orbit assembly tasks of modular large space structures, aiming to achieve efficient and universal precise assembly. Firstly, a kinematic model for the dual-robot system is established to describe their pose states, and a linear interpolation method is employed to calculate their motion trajectories. Then, A vision recognition system platform is developed to monitor the pose states in real-time, providing error compensation data to enhance the motion control accuracy of the robots. Furthermore, a synchronous clock and heartbeat packet protocol are integrated into the electromechanical system to ensure the real-time performance and reliability of information interaction. The truss design adopts a hybrid approach combining a central main magnet with four peripheral pin interfaces, which improves the connection stability and assembly fault tolerance. Finally, ground-based experiments demonstrate that the proposed on-orbit assembly system can complete the dual-robot collaborative assembly task under simplified laboratory conditions. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed system, as well as its potential for further development toward on-orbit assembly applications.

Source: Space Solar Power and Wireless Transmission

DOI: 10.1016/j.sspwt.2026.03.003

Authors: Yongning Mai, Yudong Li, Mao Mao, Junxi Zhu, Shunan Wu

Institution: Sun Yat-sen University

Language: English

Topic: Space Satellite Systems and Control

Subfield: Aerospace Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: