Adaptable Autonomous Ocean Access Through Erupting Conduits

Abstract:

The EELS architecture is designed to carry the latest instruments. It is adaptable to traverse ocean world inspired terrain, fluidized media, enclosed labyrinthian environments and liquids. It is a snake-like self-propelled endoscope form comprising serially-replicated segments with encapsulated locomotion and bending. Multiple segments sequentially reverse rotations to reduce torsion, or replicate rotations to perform holonomic movements for steering. This is a first of its kind Archimedes screw propulsion configuration that act as wheels, tracks, gripping mechanisms, and propelling units under water working as propellers. These enable a robot to get to a plume and follow the streamline to its source and proceed into the open water. In the case of the unconsolidated plume ejected the robot is buoyant and propelled though the loose media by the threads, even up steep slopes and can burrow. In an open fracture system, EELS extends across the gap near the initiation point of a fracture out of the stream line and pushes the two end screw mechanisms on each side into the walls, driving into the plume, then descending. In the vent the threads bite the side walls, reacting the plume jet forces and creating forward movement when rotated. The robot stays on the edge of the vent pushing on the outer walls allowing the vent streamline to pass through the middle. Sensor feedback enables us to perform accurate force/compliance control without perfect knowledge of the geometry of the environment; hence the robot can naturally conform its shape to the size of the vent. This is used to move the drive screws in any direction to maintain a desired outward force on crack and vent walls, make the screw threads grip the surface, direct the robot around bends, and to follow the correct branch of a conduit across wide gaps. This potential concept has never before been realized. We will report on the latest developments of this concept and implications for unique ocean world science.

Acknowledgements: The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004).