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NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
The Legged Excursion Mechanical Utility Robot (LEMUR) has been developed as a six-legged robot for giving example of autonomous walking with activity along a truss structure performing maintenance, assembly, and inspection.
Other Equipment
- Navigation
- mechanical operations
Wireless Modem for remote operations
Mission Operations
- Commands are sent by modem to send LEMUR along truss structure to its designated area.
- When LEMUR is 1 meter from the assembly, artificial-vision allows recognition and autonomous movement.
- Simple mechanical operations can be performed at assembly with front leg/s.
- Images transmitted to host computer.
Operations of the Legs
- Each of the six legs is individually controlled.
- The four rear legs has three degrees of freedom (DOF).
- The front two has four DOFs. They can hold/or become - working with tools.
One front leg could be turning a wrench socket
The other could be made as a hand.
Or could hold a macroscopic camera.
The kinematic format of the LEMUR allows support on four or better yet, three legs (to free up another appendage)
The rear feet are able to grasp objects.
Onboard Computer
- Pentium - equivalent or better
- Minimum 200 MHz
- Dynamic random-access memory of at least 32 MB
- Digital control circuits
- digital input/output circuits
- Analog-to-digital converters for input
- Digital-to-analog converters for output.
- Optical encoders in leg actuators for closed-loop microcomputer control of the placements and speed of them.
- Signals for controlling actuator multiplexed through a sample-and-hold circuit after made by D/A Cnv.
- Pulse-width-modulator circuits receive the multiplexed outputs for the motors.
Power
- LEMUR uses a rechargeable battery for continued one hour power needs.
- An electrical umbilical cord can be used for sustained operations.
- This cord can also be used as an additional bypass for the wireless modem.
This author is currently writing a theme song for it, to the tune of "One Eyed, One Horned, Flying Purple People Eater."