Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CoRob-X (Cooperative Robots for Extreme Environments)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-03-01 bis 2023-02-28
CoRob-X developed and demonstrated enabling technologies for multi-agent robotic teams. The primary target application was the exploration of planetary surfaces, with a focus on hard-to-reach areas such as lava tubes on the Moon. The CoRob-X robot team demonstrated its ability to enter and explore a lava tube in a Lunar Analogue Mission on Lanzarote in January/February 2023.
In a secondary application, which was demonstrated in a mining tunnel near Leon, Spain, we showed that the techologies developed in CoRob-X can be transferred successfully to tasks that are economically viable and relevant for society, such as the inspection and maintenance of tunnels and mine shafts.
The CoRob-X robotic exploration system built on hardware provided by members of the project consortium, and on software that had been developed within the framework of the EU-funded Strategic Research Cluster (SRC) for Space Robotics Technologies. In CoRob-X, these software building blocks were re-used, modified and improved to support a multi-agent exploration team of autonomous robots. For the Lunar Analogue Mission, we used three Robotic Explorer Units (REUs) developed at DFKI in Germany and by Space Application Services in Belgium. These rovers were equipped with various sensors for environment perception as well as with a scientific instrument (the WISDOM Ground Penetrating Radar that was developed by LATMOS for the ESA Exomars mission). A multi-agent software architecture based on the outcome of the EU-funded projects ESROCOS, ERGO, InFUSE, ProAct and ADE enabled the rovers to cooperate in the exploration of both the surface area above the lava tube and the inside of the cave. In this mission, the most challenging part was entering the lava tube through the skylight entry hole. This was achieved through the cooperation of two rovers (SherpaTT and Coyote III) in a challenging rappelling maneuver.
The core software modules developed for the planetary exploration scenario were transferred to a terrestrial use case in which a robotic team was used to inspect a mine shaft/tunnel after a blast. Digging tunnels with the help of controlled blasts is a common method in mining so that the CoRob-X solution is relevant for the European mining industry and has a high economic impact. In the mining scenario, a robot team consisting of a 4-wheel rover and a quadrocopter drone was sent into a tunnel to check and clear the site after a controlled blast. Although the robots were physically very different from the ones used for planetary exploration, the high-level CoRob-X software architecture is hardware agnostic and therefore could be applied here successfully.
In a secondary application, which was demonstrated in a mining tunnel near Leon, Spain, we showed that the techologies developed in CoRob-X can be transferred successfully to tasks that are economically viable and relevant for society, such as the inspection and maintenance of tunnels and mine shafts.
The CoRob-X robotic exploration system built on hardware provided by members of the project consortium, and on software that had been developed within the framework of the EU-funded Strategic Research Cluster (SRC) for Space Robotics Technologies. In CoRob-X, these software building blocks were re-used, modified and improved to support a multi-agent exploration team of autonomous robots. For the Lunar Analogue Mission, we used three Robotic Explorer Units (REUs) developed at DFKI in Germany and by Space Application Services in Belgium. These rovers were equipped with various sensors for environment perception as well as with a scientific instrument (the WISDOM Ground Penetrating Radar that was developed by LATMOS for the ESA Exomars mission). A multi-agent software architecture based on the outcome of the EU-funded projects ESROCOS, ERGO, InFUSE, ProAct and ADE enabled the rovers to cooperate in the exploration of both the surface area above the lava tube and the inside of the cave. In this mission, the most challenging part was entering the lava tube through the skylight entry hole. This was achieved through the cooperation of two rovers (SherpaTT and Coyote III) in a challenging rappelling maneuver.
The core software modules developed for the planetary exploration scenario were transferred to a terrestrial use case in which a robotic team was used to inspect a mine shaft/tunnel after a blast. Digging tunnels with the help of controlled blasts is a common method in mining so that the CoRob-X solution is relevant for the European mining industry and has a high economic impact. In the mining scenario, a robot team consisting of a 4-wheel rover and a quadrocopter drone was sent into a tunnel to check and clear the site after a controlled blast. Although the robots were physically very different from the ones used for planetary exploration, the high-level CoRob-X software architecture is hardware agnostic and therefore could be applied here successfully.
The duration of the CoRob-X project was 24 months, from March 1, 2021 to February 28, 2023.
In a first step, the lunar exploration scenario was analyzed from a scientific and mission-oriented point of view. This led to functional requirements for the robotic exploration team.
Then, the principles of this real lunar mission were translated in a definition of a feasible lunar analogue mission. This analogue was the basis to define functional and technical requirements for the CoRob-X robot team.
An analysis of the current State-of-the-Art in the fields of planetary exploration and space robotics was performed. The focus of this survey was on determining which technologies are available for CoRob-X to match the challenging functional and technical requirements for the robot team.
The evaluation of critical technologies needed to fulfill the requirements for the lunar analogue mission included the technology building blocks developed in the SRC Space Robotics Technologies over the course of the last decade. Together with SoA hardware and software developed in non-SRC R&D projects by the consortium members, the SRC bulding blocks were organized into a system architecture to support both the Lunar Analogue Mission and the Terrestrial Demonstrator.
The Terrestrial Demonstrator and the transfer of the CoRob-X solution to a terrestrial application scenario was organized in parallel to the development of the Lunar Analogue Mission. This included an analysis of the terrestrial use-case (a mining scenario), the planning of the developments needed to support this use-case, and the implementation of the hardware and software needed to finally demonstrate this use case.
Once all technical concepts had been developed, the sub-systems needed by the CoRob-X robotic exploration team to successfully complete the Lunar Analogue Mission were implemented.
In one workpackage, the focus was on the software architecture and development of software sub-systems, and on the selection and preparation of the site for the lunar analogue and the field camp.
In another workpackage, the already available hardware sub-systems were adapted to the new Lunar Analogue Mission or developed from scratch, if needed. The focus here was on hardware development and HW-SW integration and testing. Softare environments for testing in simulation, facilities for remote testing with hardware-in-the-loop, as well as an integration and testing event where all consortium members physically gathered at DFKI in Bremen were organized.
Finally, the CoRob-X consortium gathered for a 3-week field test in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. The capabilities of the robotic exploration team were demonstrated in a Lunar Analogue Mission that involved the exploration of a real, albeit terrestrial, lava tube. In parallel, the terrestrial CoRob-X robot team was demonstrated in a mine-tunnel in northwestern Spain.
The demonstrations were accompanied by activities related to the communication and dissemination of the project objectives and results to the scientific community and interested public. This included the set-up of a project webpage, posts on social media channels, press releases, conference papers, and a real-time blog during the demonstration events. Several videos covering the mission scenarios and the field tests are available via the project web-page (www.corob-x.eu). Representatives of ESA and space agencies from several member states (organized in the PERASPRA PSA) as well as the EU PO attended the Lunar Analogue Mission and were able to watch first-hand how the CoRob-X robot team performed.
In a first step, the lunar exploration scenario was analyzed from a scientific and mission-oriented point of view. This led to functional requirements for the robotic exploration team.
Then, the principles of this real lunar mission were translated in a definition of a feasible lunar analogue mission. This analogue was the basis to define functional and technical requirements for the CoRob-X robot team.
An analysis of the current State-of-the-Art in the fields of planetary exploration and space robotics was performed. The focus of this survey was on determining which technologies are available for CoRob-X to match the challenging functional and technical requirements for the robot team.
The evaluation of critical technologies needed to fulfill the requirements for the lunar analogue mission included the technology building blocks developed in the SRC Space Robotics Technologies over the course of the last decade. Together with SoA hardware and software developed in non-SRC R&D projects by the consortium members, the SRC bulding blocks were organized into a system architecture to support both the Lunar Analogue Mission and the Terrestrial Demonstrator.
The Terrestrial Demonstrator and the transfer of the CoRob-X solution to a terrestrial application scenario was organized in parallel to the development of the Lunar Analogue Mission. This included an analysis of the terrestrial use-case (a mining scenario), the planning of the developments needed to support this use-case, and the implementation of the hardware and software needed to finally demonstrate this use case.
Once all technical concepts had been developed, the sub-systems needed by the CoRob-X robotic exploration team to successfully complete the Lunar Analogue Mission were implemented.
In one workpackage, the focus was on the software architecture and development of software sub-systems, and on the selection and preparation of the site for the lunar analogue and the field camp.
In another workpackage, the already available hardware sub-systems were adapted to the new Lunar Analogue Mission or developed from scratch, if needed. The focus here was on hardware development and HW-SW integration and testing. Softare environments for testing in simulation, facilities for remote testing with hardware-in-the-loop, as well as an integration and testing event where all consortium members physically gathered at DFKI in Bremen were organized.
Finally, the CoRob-X consortium gathered for a 3-week field test in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. The capabilities of the robotic exploration team were demonstrated in a Lunar Analogue Mission that involved the exploration of a real, albeit terrestrial, lava tube. In parallel, the terrestrial CoRob-X robot team was demonstrated in a mine-tunnel in northwestern Spain.
The demonstrations were accompanied by activities related to the communication and dissemination of the project objectives and results to the scientific community and interested public. This included the set-up of a project webpage, posts on social media channels, press releases, conference papers, and a real-time blog during the demonstration events. Several videos covering the mission scenarios and the field tests are available via the project web-page (www.corob-x.eu). Representatives of ESA and space agencies from several member states (organized in the PERASPRA PSA) as well as the EU PO attended the Lunar Analogue Mission and were able to watch first-hand how the CoRob-X robot team performed.
The technologies developed and demonstrated in CoRob-X are technological building blocks for cooperative teams of autonomous robots. Such robot teams are needed in planetary exploration to accomplish complex tasks, like the exploration of hard-to-reach areas or the set-up of infrastructure on planetary surfaces. CoRob-X demonstrated that as a team, autonomous robots are able to explore even a lava tube, a task which a single robot would not be able to complete successfully. Because of their augmented capabilities, robotic teams will play an important role for the exploration and colonialization of the moon, Mars and other celestial bodies in the future. The technological building blocks developed within the framework of the EU-funded Strategic Research Cluster on Space Robotics Technologies and demonstrated in CoRob-X do provide the basis for the implementation of such teams.
In addition, through a Terrestrial Demonstrator, CoRob-X showed that the technological building blocks are also very useful for terrestrial applications. The use case adressed, mining, is only one of a number of applications that will be supported in the future by cooperative robot teams.
In addition, through a Terrestrial Demonstrator, CoRob-X showed that the technological building blocks are also very useful for terrestrial applications. The use case adressed, mining, is only one of a number of applications that will be supported in the future by cooperative robot teams.