New Robotic Repair System Will Fix Ailing Satellites
Shephard
Group (10/02/2008)

Queen's University researchers are working on a
robotic system designed to function as a repair tool for satellites that are
outside the range of manned space flight. Professor Michael Greenspan envisions
tracking software that will allow an Autonomous Space Servicing Vehicle (ASSV)
to grab the malfunctioning device from its orbit and draw it into its bay, where
repairs can be performed by ground-based remote control. Greenspan says the
primary technical challenge that must be overcome so that the vehicle can
successfully grip the satellite is one of computer vision. The robotic system
must be capable of first recognizing the satellite, and then ascertaining and
matching its motion before grasping it. The system would incorporate LIDAR,
which supplies a set of 3D points that accurately measure the surface geometry
of the satellite, as a sensor technology. Greenspan's team has created software
that allows such a system to identify a satellite, determine its position, and
track it in real time, using this specialized range data. The team is currently
working to develop the ASSV with the McDonald-Detweiller Associates Space
Missions aerospace company.
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