EUROPEAN ROBOTIC ARM : THE PROBLEM OF PREVENTING COLLISIONS

The European Robotic Arm (ERA), to be used for assembly and servicing activities on the Russian Segment of the International Space Station (ISS), is an 11 meter long arm, moving both automatically and under cosmonaut control. A major safety issue is to avoid possibility of collisions. Although the most obvious approach is the use of sensors, no sensor-based solution is practical. A different solution is adopted, based on a software simulating the ERA motion, using a geometrical and kinematic model of the arm and its payload, within a geometrical model of the ISS Russian Segment. The simulation is aimed to predict collisions in order to stop the arm before it can actually cause damages to the station and to itself. This software has been delivered by Tecnospazio to Fokker Space as part of the ERA onboard software, and it is currently subject to the ERA system test campaign.