1. INTRODUCTION:
The NASA A.T.H.L.E.T.E (All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer) is a vehicle developed by the NASA Johnson Space Centre, NASA Ames Research Centre, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Boeing Company and Stanford University. It is part of the Lunar and Planetary Surface Operations element of the NASA Technology Maturation Program and constitutes the “effort for a sustainable, affordable and safe human lunar return” [1]. Two approximately half-scale prototype “Software Development Model” vehicles have been built (figure 1) and tested between 2005 and 2009. The vehicles' mass is about 850 kg and their hexagonal frames are 2.75 m across. The frame itself has 6 6-degree-of-freedom (DOF) limbs standing a maximum of 2.08 m at the hip pitch axis. At the end of each limb is a 0.48 m diameter wheel equipped with an adapter where a variety of general-purpose devices can be connected (drills, grippers, etc.). Furthermore, a pair of stereo cameras have been attached on every side of the frame and on each wheel, allowing for a stereoscopic panoramic view of the vehicle's surroundings and also the gauging of the exact position of the tool attached to the wheel. These allow the vehicle to move safely, either autonomously or driven by an operator and also enable it to carry out tasks with great accuracy.
2.ROBOT OVERVIEW:
To ensure maximum safety, previous missions to the moon have landed robots on relatively flat spots [2] and limited their exploration area to safe nominal terrains. In addition, the use of separate landing and post-landing vehicles resulted in duplicate subsystems such as primary structure, thermal control, cable harness, power, imaging sensors [4], etc. All the above problems were solved by the whee...
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...ieee.org, 4/3/2012).
[7] Julie Townsend, Jeffrey Biesiadecki, Curtis Collins, “ATHLETE Mobility Performance with Active Terrain Compliance”, Aerospace Conference, 2010 IEEE, Page(s): 1 – 7 (http://ieeexplore.ieee.org, 4/3/2012).
[8] Wilcox, Brian H, “ATHLETE: A Cargo-Handling Vehicle for Solar System Exploration”, Aerospace Conference, 2011 IEEE, Page(s): 1 – 8, http://ieeexplore.ieee.org, (4/3/2012).
[9] http://www.theblaze.com/stories/see-nasas-two-ton-robot-that-can-leap-over-asteroids/ (4/3/2012).
[10] Matt Heverly, Jaret Matthews, Matt Frost, Chris McQuin, “Development of the Tri-ATHLETE Lunar Vehicle Prototype”, Proceedings of the 40th Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium, NASA Kennedy Space Center, May 7-9, 2010 (http://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov 3/3/2012).
[11] http://athlete.jpl.nasa.gov/ (4/3/2012).
[12] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDvoe091tk4 (2/3/2012).
Recorded videos were used to analyze the movement patterns of the runners. The participants were an elite (male) and a novice runner (female). The elite runner used a standard track field while the novice used a treadmill in a standard gym. The result showed that the elite runner had a longer stride than the non-expert due to his long legs. The novice runner required less force to move her body than the elite runner. The expert had longer stride resulting in longer step length which made him move faster than the novice. As the feet of both participants touched the ground the expert had a higher ground reaction force than the non-expert. The elite had a higher cadence than the non-elite because his legs moved faster. During stance phase, they both have one foot on the ground and as their foot first hit the ground they both slow down. However, the novice was slower because the elite had a faster speed making him spend less time in the
Many physics principles apply to a mousetrap race car, although it is a simple device. A mousetrap car is very simple to make because it can be created using several different materials and methods. Both of these laws prove that the more massive the mousetrap car, the more force that will be required to move the car. The mousetrap car works by transferring the spring’s energy to the car’s wheels. Friction acts in many ways while the mousetrap car is moving. All of these principles allow the mousetrap race car to function and should be considered when creating a mousetrap car.
Throughout literature countermovement jumps (CMJ) are seen to be higher in contrast to squat jumps (SJ) (Bobbert et al. 1996; Kubo et al. 1999; Bobbert et al. 2005). However present literature regarding the key potential mechanisms behind why greater muscle forces are seen accelerating the body upwards in CMJ in comparison to SJ is somewhat unclear. A CMJ can be defined as a positioning starting upright, beginning the descending motion in advance of the upward motion in contrast to a SJ where the start position is squatted with no preparatory countermovement (Akl 2013). The higher jump heights seen in CMJ in comparison to SJ are apparent even if at the start of propulsion phase the body configuration is identical (Bobbert et al. 1996). In past literature three main mechanisms have looked to provide an explanation for the greater muscle forces seen in CMJ than the SJ. The first plausible theory is that the muscle stretch in CMJ increases the production of force capability of the contractile machinery (Edman et al. 1978; Ettema et al. 1992; Herzog et al. 2003). Secondly the assumption that the muscle fibres are on the descending limb of their force–length relationship at the start of propulsion in the CMJ and SJ, however in CMJ the stretching of a chain of elastic components, they are not as far past optimum length therefore allowing a greater force over the initial phase of their shortening range, with the stretching of sequences of elastic components, this then causes the storage of elastic energy that is then reutilized in the propulsion phase (Ettema et al. 1992). The final explan...
With regard to constructing the “Elevator Car”, or climber mechanism, many ideas have been tossed around N.A.S.A. in the last 5 years. In addition, Space Forward challenged the world by asking private organizations to build there own mechanism and promised the wining team 4 million dollars for there work. As a result, the Space Elevator challenge began and th...
You already have some information on the biomechanical and physiological principles of your activity from questions one and two. Now conduct additional research on your activity and prepare a report that describes its biomechanical and physiological principles. Your report should contain a minimum of four paragraphs and follow the rules for standard written English.
In December 2001, Dean Kamen of Segway LLC unveiled the Human Transporter HT. With lofty ideas of replacing the automobile and unrealized sales forecasts, Kamen's Segway HT has not moved mankind nearly as much as Kamen had expected.
“How about we use a pulley system with a weight at the end to push the car forward?” my team member suggested. “Or we could use a hammer launcher,” I proposed. We went back and forth, contemplating different methods. We faced trials, tribulations, and troubles in the design process. Building and perfecting our designs took weeks, but our coach guided us throughout the process and encouraged us to “Never give up!” We researched the effects of different factors that could potentially come in the way of our success and analyzed all of the device possibilities. Even when research got arduous and we couldn’t agree on something, we never gave up on our dream of placing in the regional competition. This was one of the hardest challenges I’ve ever faced in my Science Olympiad career, but our unfaltering dedication and our belief in success helped us persist in the face of setbacks. Once we finished our plan, we began to build the device. It was exhilarating to see our plan come to
While just traveling to Mars is a difficult task, landing on the planet has proved to be next to impossible, with only a small fraction of the attempted landings ending in success. Over the years there have been several different designs of Martian landers that have attempted to slip past the proverbial “galactic ghoul” protecting the planet Mars. However, few of these designs have fared successful at landing smoothly. These technologies have ranged from the original Viking using aero braking and rocket power, to the Mars Pathfinder mission’s novel air bag solution. In order to gain insight into the surface of the red planet, landing is a must. Thus, the potential solutions and their benefits and drawbacks must be examined.
The circle of traction is a important racing concept with applications from physics. From newtons equation f=ma we know that the more force we apply to an o...
How do you build a vehicle capable of climbing a tether into space, under its own power? This leads to another
Human fascination with the stars is as ancient as Babylonians and has been suggested to be older than Stonehenge. From “be fruitful and multiply” to “live long and prosper,” the instinct to protect and propagate the species has manifested in religion, art, and the imaginations of countless individuals. As human understanding of space treks out of the fantastical and into the scientific, the realities of traveling through and living in space are becoming clearer. Exploring, investigating, and living in space pose an expansive series of problems. However, the solutions to the problems faced by mankind's desire to reach beyond the horizon, through the night sky, and into the stars are solutions that will help in all areas of life on Earth.
Siconolfi, Dr. S., Dr. S. Fortney, Dr. V. Mikhaylov, and Dr. A. Kotov. "Aerobic Capacity Using Graded Bicycle Ergometry." NASA Shuttle-Mir Web: NASA/Mir Experiment. Online. Netscape. 8 Oct. 1997.
The recent events regarding the NASA Mars probes have renewed the debate of reinstalling manned space missions with the objectives of exploring and landing on foreign worlds such as the moon and the red planet Mars, rather than the use of solely robotic craft and machines. It is my belief that we should return to the days of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, those of manned lunar landings and manned space exploration. Robots simply cannot and should not be allowed to be the sole means of visiting these worlds, nor should humans only be able to witness new findings second hand through the use of computers and machines. It is human nature to be normally curious of one’s surroundings, and it is important that we send one of our own to new worlds. The effects that past missions have had on the world’s people, as well as our political and cultural climates are another valid reason for flesh instead of metal to lay claim to space. Also, the limitless applications and new education that manned flights can bring to us from on site human interactions could lead to another technological and industrial revolution like the original lunar programs had done for us during the Gemini and Apollo programs.
NASA’s planned missions to Mars, should it come to fruition, will be the furthest distance any human being has ever traversed. While this is an impressive feat in and of itself, it becomes even more so when one takes into acco...