A space robot that has a manipulator arm mounted on a satellite body was conceived to perform various tasks for construction and maintenance of space structures. For such activities, control strategies need to be developed such that a space robot can change its orientation and articulated shape readily. External force actuators consume fuels that are limited in quantity and expensive. It is pragmatic to minimize the usage of the external force actuators to maximize the useful life span of the space robot. In the absence of external forces, the angular momentum of a space robot is conserved.
This imposes a nonholonomic constraint on the motion of a space robot. In situations where the space robot maintains zero momentum, it is possible to control the attitude of the space robot using the motion of the manipulator mounted on the main body and without using the external force actuators. This has motivated researchers to address the control problem of a space robot without external forces.
[Reference] https://thashi.net
Post time: Jul-02-2017