Automation of site preparation and resource utilization on the Moon with teams of autonomous robots holds considerable promise for establishing a lunar base. Such multirobot autonomous systems would require limited human support infrastructure, complement necessary manned operations and reduce overall mission risk. We present an Artificial Neural Tissue (ANT) architecture as a control system for autonomous multirobot excavation tasks. An ANT approach requires much less human supervision and pre‐programmed human expertise than previous techniques. Only a single global fitness function and a set of allowable basis behaviors need be specified. An evolutionary (Darwinian) selection process is used to ‘breed’ controllers for the task at hand in simulation and the fittest controllers are transferred onto hardware for further validation and testing. ANT facilitates ‘machine creativity’, with the emergence of novel functionality through a process of self‐organized task decomposition of mission goals. ANT based controllers are shown to exhibit self‐organization, employ stigmergy (communication mediated through the environment) and make use of templates (unlabeled environmental cues). With lunar in‐situ resource utilization (ISRU) efforts in mind, ANT controllers have been tested on a multirobot excavation task in which teams of robots with no explicit supervision can successfully avoid obstacles, interpret excavation blueprints, perform layered digging, avoid burying or trapping other robots and clear/maintain digging routes.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Multirobot Lunar Excavation and ISRU Using Artificial‐Neural‐Tissue Controllers



    Conference:

    SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL FORUM‐STAIF 2008: 12th Conference on Thermophysics Applications in Microgravity; 1st Symposium on Space Resource Utilization; 25th Symposium on Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion; 6th Conference on Human/Robotic Technology and the Vision for Space Exploration; 6th Symposium on Space Colonization; 5th Symposium on New Frontiers and Future Concept ; 2008 ; Albuquerque (New Mexico)


    Published in:

    AIP Conference Proceedings ; 969 , 1 ; 229-236


    Publication date :

    2008-01-21


    Size :

    8 pages





    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Application of an Artificial Neural Tissue Controller to Multirobot Lunar ISRU Operations

    Thangavelautham, Jekanthan / Smith, Alexander / Boucher, Dale et al. | American Institute of Physics | 2007


    Lunar ISRU

    Rapp, Donald | Springer Verlag | 2018


    Calculation of Excavation Force for ISRU on Lunar Surface

    Zeng, Xiangwu (David) / Burnoski, Louis / Agui, Juan H. et al. | NTRS | 2007


    Calculation of Excavation Force for ISRU on Lunar Surface

    Zeng, Xiangwu / Burnoski, Louis / Agui, Juan et al. | AIAA | 2007


    Calculation of Excavation Force for ISRU on Lunar Surface AIAA Paper

    Zeng, X. / Burnoski, L. / Agui, J. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2007