LEMUR 3: A limbed climbing robot for extreme terrain mobility in space

TLDR

Limbed mobility is sought by JPL and NASA to reach extreme terrain on Mars and in microgravity. The authors present LEMUR 3, a four‑limbed robot designed to climb cliff faces and smooth glass. Each limb contains seven serial actuators, a single‑axis force sensor, and interchangeable end effectors such as microspine grippers for rock and gecko‑adhesive grippers for glass, with shared hardware and software across demonstrations. LEMUR 3 successfully demonstrated climbing on both rocky cliffs and glass solar panels.

Abstract

This paper introduces a new four-limbed robot, LEMUR 3, that has demonstrated climbing on cliff faces and smooth glass. Each limb on the robot consists of seven identical actuators in a serial chain. Each limb terminates in a single axis force sensor that allows various end effectors to be mounted and connected to the robot's power and communication system. Microspine grippers were used for climbing the rocky surface and gecko adhesive grippers were used for the glass solar panels. All other hardware and much of the software was common for the two demonstrations. The robot's mechanical, electrical, and software systems, various gripping devices, and field demonstrations are described. Limbed mobility is of interest to JPL and NASA because of its potential to access extreme terrain, including that on Mars and in microgravity environments.