A working lunar rover: Passive gripper mechanism and actuated leg

Abstract

In this paper two particular subsystems of a worker rover, developed as a collaboration between two academic institutions, has been described for an optimal functionality. The rover has a gripper mechanism and four legs: these components are the on board mechanical subsystems. The gripper mechanism, described in the paper, is designed to operate without motors and the leg of this rover comprises a mechanism for lifting weights and has a decoupling structural joint. The design optimization was performed by means of parametric modelling and numerical simulations.