UK-based consultancy company, Orbit Rise Ltd (OrbitRise) specialise in environment robotics for industries like space and the energy sector. Among the solutions that have potential use in the space industry include an end-over-end walking robot called the E-Walker, which was developed by their founding director, Dr Rai.
This next-generation, omnidirectional walking manipulator was created jointly with the University of Lincoln, who also provided funding. Fully dextrous, this innovative walker is suitable for in-space assembly and disassembly missions, maintenance projects, and for decommissioning complex infrastructures both in space and on Earth.
How It Works
Most robotic manipulation solutions are fixed to a base, which limits their movements and how far they can reach. The E-Walker provides a more versatile solution that is able to overcome the workspace limitations of fixed-base manipulators. As a modular, omnidirectional manipulator the E-Walker offers superior performance due to its dexterity, agility, and manoeuvrability.
Capable of traversing a variety of structures without predefined paths, the manipulator can navigate confined spaces, adapt to multiple surfaces and enable multi-robot task sharing for in-space and terrestrial (dis)assembly, maintenance and decommissioning operations.
The E-Walker includes dual grasping ends for rigid contact while being able to move around its base in any direction, delivering superior performance to many current solutions. Its in-line elbow joint enables efficient end-over-end walking without joint offset and with full rotational freedom, ensuring high dexterity, straight-line mobility, and reliability to offer a unique, commercially-viable manipulation solution for multiple sectors.
Applications
There are a range of potential applications for the E-Walker, both on Earth and in space. These include in-orbit inspection, assembly and disassembly, inspection, maintenance and manufacturing missions.
Find Out More:
With a number of potential space sector applications available for this system, you can find out more about this technology here: https://www.esa-technology-broker.co.uk/microsites/esa/technologies/walking-robotic-manipulators-for-assembly-and-maintenance-operations
If you would like to explore this technology further for potential applications, please get in touch with us by emailing contactus@esa-technology-broker.co.uk.