The small climbing robot could explore caves on the Martian surface.
: Initially, we applied for NIAC's Phase I in 2019 but did not get it. We then tailored the mission to be more aligned with what NASA is interested in looking at. We received the Phase I grant for 2021, during which we looked at a lot of the feasibility concepts - we claimed that this robot is beneficial because it has a large reachable workspace, but was it possible to use these booms to get that reachability? Questions like that.
We learned a bunch of lessons from the 2D prototype - like needing to minimize the weight of the gripper that will be extended. So that's mainly what I focused on during Phase I. We gained enough confidence, and we're sure it will work as a three-dimensional robot.: There are still a lot of feasibility questions that need to be answered, which will be done in Phase II.
Also, in this simulation, ReachBot is crawling down a cave. We've made assumptions about the booms being strong enough. But what does strong enough mean? How can we use intelligent control strategies to leverage the booms' strengths, and overcome their weaknesses? These finer details are important to prove the feasibility of the concept.: On my part, I need to look into optimizing the microscopic grippers and understanding the design principle.
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