Robot successfully builds space structure in first autonomous construction demo
A robotic truss builder that was conceived, designed and built by Caltech researchers has successfully built a structure in space—without the help of astronauts—for the first time. The truss builder, part of DARPA's Novel Orbital and Moon Manufacturing, Materials, and Mass-efficient Design (NOM4D) program, consists of an autonomous manipulator that picks up struts and joints held in nearby…
Researchers from Caltech have achieved a first in space construction with a robotic truss builder that autonomously built a structure without astronaut assistance. This comes after a six-month effort inside the NOM4D program. The truss builder is an autonomous manipulator that picks up pre-assembled struts and joints from dispensers to assemble identical sections of a perimeter truss.
Sergio Pellegrino, the lead researcher, described this as similar to piecing together a high-tech K Nex or Tinkertoy structure. However, the actual process is far from simple. While the team managed to build the initial section of the antenna, the technology demonstrates the feasibility of constructing very large structures in space.
This development could lead to the creation of massive structures such as space telescopes or radio frequency antennas, currently limited by the size of rocket fairings.
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