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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 9, 2025

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO

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Published on: February 12, 2013

Soft Robotic Perspective and Concept for Planetary Small Body Exploration.

Ruoyu Feng¹, Yu Zhang¹, Jinyu Liu¹

¹School of Aerospace Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

|December 23, 2021

Summary

Soft robots offer a novel solution for exploring small planetary bodies, addressing landing uncertainties and mobility challenges. Their adaptive nature and morphing capabilities enhance mission success in microgravity environments.

Keywords:

asteroid hopper microgravity locomotion shape memory polymer soft mobile robots space exploration

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Area of Science:

Robotics
Planetary Science
Materials Science

Background:

Thousands of small planetary bodies (asteroids, comets, small moons) orbit Earth with limited exploration.
Current exploration methods face challenges in landing and mobility on these diverse surfaces.
Soft robots present a promising solution due to their compliance and adaptability.

Observation:

Small bodies exhibit unique surface features and microgravity conditions posing exploration challenges.
Existing soft mobile robot designs and locomotion methods are reviewed for suitability.
A novel deployable cube concept utilizing shape memory polymers is proposed.

Findings:

The proposed soft robotic cube can morph and adjust stiffness for different mission phases.
Dynamic simulations demonstrate the soft shell's effectiveness in energy dissipation during landing.
The soft deployed shell significantly attenuates excessive rebounds compared to rigid counterparts.

Implications:

Soft robotics can revolutionize the exploration of asteroids and other small celestial bodies.
Advanced materials like shape memory polymers enable innovative robotic designs for space missions.
This approach offers a more robust and adaptable alternative to current asteroid exploration technologies.