All articles tagged with #robotic arm
NASA’s Curiosity rover briefly stuck a 13‑kilogram rock named Atacama to its drill for about a week on Mars; after the team tilted, rotated, and vibrated the drill, the rock released and fractured on the ground, while the rover continues to contend with wheel wear after nearly 14 years on the Martian surface.
NASA’s Curiosity rover spent several days with a rock latched to its drill-equipped arm while drilling from a Martian rock nicknamed Atacama. Engineers tried vibrating and reorienting the arm, then tilting, rotating, and spinning the drill; the rock finally released during the first round of maneuvers, but shattered on impact, marking a rare rover win but a failure for the stubborn rock.
NASA is launching a robotic arm into orbit to assist in constructing space habitats and infrastructure, supporting its plans for lunar colonization and future exploration, with collaborations including SpaceX. The robotic arm, capable of autonomous tool use and movement in zero gravity, aims to facilitate in-space assembly, servicing, and manufacturing, potentially benefiting various industries on Earth. Meanwhile, NASA is preparing for its Artemis II lunar mission in 2026, which will set the stage for future lunar landings.
NexLawn has introduced the Master X Series Concept, a robotic lawnmower equipped with a fully functional mechanical arm capable of tasks like trimming, weeding, fruit picking, and pet interaction, including throwing a ball for a dog, though it remains a concept product with no current release date or price.
A study demonstrates that combining AI with non-invasive brain devices significantly enhances their performance, enabling a paralysed man to control a robotic arm with 93% success in a task, and improving task completion speed for others, thereby potentially improving quality of life.
A PhD student at the University of Aberdeen is developing a "Soft Robo Arm" to aid stroke patients in their recovery by allowing them to perform essential repetitive movements at home without a physiotherapist. The lightweight and affordable device, which uses air-inflated material to mimic muscle movements, is still in the development phase and will undergo extensive testing before clinical trials.
NASA has terminated its $2 billion project to develop a robotic arm for refueling old satellites in space due to budget issues, delays, and technical challenges. The project, known as OSAM-1, faced criticism for cost overruns and poor performance by contractor Maxar Technologies. The decision reflects a shift in the space industry towards satellites with built-in refueling capabilities, rendering the project potentially obsolete. NASA is now focused on mitigating the impact of the cancellation on its workforce.
NASA's ambitious $2 billion project to build a robotic arm for refueling old satellites in orbit, known as OSAM-1, has been discontinued due to budget issues, delays, and technical setbacks. The project, in development since 2015, faced challenges including a ballooning budget, delays in spacecraft and robotic arm delivery by contractor Maxar Technologies, and a lack of committed partners. The cancellation reflects a shift in the space industry towards satellites with built-in refueling capabilities, rendering the project potentially obsolete.
NASA cancels the OSAM-1 mission, a multibillion-dollar project aimed at demonstrating robotic satellite servicing technology, due to continued technical, cost, and schedule challenges. The mission's cost has ballooned to $1.5 billion, with projections of nearly $1 billion more needed for launch. Originally planned for a 2020 launch, the mission faced delays and cost increases, and the addition of the Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER) further complicated matters. The realities of the satellite servicing market have also shifted, with commercial companies focusing on alternative methods for extending satellite life, leading to NASA's decision to cancel the project.
NASA astronauts at the International Space Station demonstrated the process of capturing a Northrop Grumman Cygnus vehicle using the Canadarm2 robotic arm, which arrived with essential supplies for the Expedition 70 crew. The Canadarm2, managed by supplier MDA, has been instrumental in various space missions since its installation in 2001 and is now being succeeded by the Canadarm3. The new arm, equipped with advanced features, will be mounted on NASA's moon-orbiting Gateway station and is expected to play a crucial role in future space endeavors.
NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg demonstrates how old space station hardware is jettisoned from the International Space Station (ISS) using a Canadian robotic arm. The debris, known as flight support equipment, was safely released and is expected to fall into Earth's atmosphere in 2025. This process helps reduce the mass on the ISS and is done ahead of periodic reboosts to maintain the station's orbit. The equipment jettisoned in this video was leftover from spacewalks conducted to install new solar arrays on the ISS.
Simone Giertz attempted to make a robotic arm entirely out of stained glass but one of the components kept breaking, so she had to fabricate it from metal. Despite the setback, the journey was the point of the project.
The US Space Force has awarded a $1.6m contract to a team led by Arkisys to demonstrate robotic satellite assembly. The team will assemble a three-axis stabilized satellite with the robotic arm on the Arkisys Port Module. The satellite will be comprised of at least three Novawurks Slegos, box-shaped modules that provide capabilities like pointing, information processing and data storage. The demonstration will identify issues to be resolved, such as how to keep the platform stable when the robotic arm imparts momentum on a space platform.