Virtual Forward Dynamics Models Applied to Orbital Robotics Scenarios

The paradigm of applying the virtual forward dynamics model-based control (VFDM) for robotic manipulation in the field of orbital robotics is presented through two use cases: The first case explores the use of VFDM to emulate on-orbit scenarios using robotic arms in a ground-based facility. The second case explores VFDM for essential on-orbit manipulation tasks performed on a mockup of a control panel (“push-button, release” and “peg-in-hole”). Experiments confirm the feasibility of the approach for its use in space applications. VFDM offers a viable solution for a variety of operational scenarios that lack elaborate models. It excels in exhibiting stability at kinematic singularities during cartesian motion control, all the while allowing the conditioning of the manipulator’s inertia matrix for imposing a desired dynamic behaviour.