Robotic System for Plant Tending in Remote Habitat

The integration of robotics with agriculture in a controlled or closed environment is attractive because it enables remote production of food and oxygen without siphoning valuable hours of astronaut labor. Similar techniques can also be applied to terrestrial habitats to improve food security in areas that may not be well-suited to outdoor and/or labor-intensive traditional agricultural practices. In this paper, a robotic system for plant tending is presented with reflections on results of early demonstrations. The system includes remote teleoperation capabilities, a 6-DOF robotic arm, vision system for 3D reconstruction of plants, pneumatic multi-tool changer, and custom end-effectors including an enclosure latch tool and a plant shear tool. This work is a collaborative effort between NASA Kennedy Space Center, Lockheed Martin Space, and university partners to test the technologies of autonomous plant growth systems in deep space.