D Newman, MIT

Human/Robotic Synergy forPartial Gravity and Beyond...Human/Robotic Synergy forPartial Gravity and Beyond...

NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts

Atlanta, Georgia7 November 2000

Professor Dava J. NewmanMIT

Dept. of Aeronautics and AstronauticsHarvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology

MacVicar Faculty Fellow

D Newman, MIT

• Astronaut Performance (Background)

• Extravehiculuar Activity: History and Future Challenge- ‘Bio-Suit’ development

• Advanced Technology and Robotics- Planetary assembly/deployment/exploration

• Evolvable Space Systems Design- Nature’s design- Responding to the unexpected/unanticipated

Perspective OverviewPerspective Overview

D Newman, MIT

Performance Simulations: WaterPerformance Simulations: Water

• Loping on the Moon Loping on Mars

“Gravity not only controls the actions but also the forms of all save the least of organisms.” – Willems et al.

D Newman, MIT

Moonwalker SimulationsMoonwalker SimulationsB

W

BW

D Newman, MIT

Astronaut Microgravity PerformanceAstronaut Microgravity Performance

• Mir Crewmembers in Long-Duration Spaceflight- Very low speed microgravity motions- Very low force/torque levels

• > 3000 astronauts activities on Mir: 95% are < 9 N (2 lb)

Newman, D.J., Amir, A., Beck, S. “Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS) Experiment on Mir,” AIAA J Spacecraft & Rockets, accepted, 2000.Poon, C.-S., Tryfonidis, M., and Newman, D.J., "Bayesian Optimization of Visuomotor Performance in Human Decision," submitted to Science, June, 1999.

Rel

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1G Space

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D Newman, MIT

Future Work: ‘Bio-Suit’Future Work: ‘Bio-Suit’• Martian EVA primary activity to search for life

• Revolutionary technologies/methodologies needed– Optimize human/robotic workforce

• Intersection of Aerospace and Biomedical Eng. andNeuroscience

Bishop, R.H., D.V. Byrnes, D.J. Newman, C.E. Carr, and B. Aldrin, “Earth-Mars Transportation Opportunities: Promising Options for Interplanetary Transportation,” Proceedings of the Richard H. Battin Astrodynamics Conference, College Station, TX, 20-21 March, 2000, Paper AAS 00-255.

D Newman, MIT

Past Space Suit DesignPast Space Suit Design

Apollo Shuttle/ISS Mars

D Newman, MIT

ISS “The Wall”ISS “The Wall”

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APOLLO / SKYLAB

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CALENDAR YEAR

Rev. E Assembly Sequence(with HST-03A, -03B)

Total U.S. EVA Duration: 1076Total Russian Duration: 774

We are here.

History

D Newman, MIT

Mars: “The Mountain?”Mars: “The Mountain?”

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2500RUSSIANSHUTTLE / HST / DTO / ISSAPOLLO / SKYLABGEMINIMARS (Scale on the right)

CALENDAR YEAR

Rev. E Assembly SequenceWith HST and Surface Exploration

Assumptions:12 US ISS Maint. EVA/yr post assy complete6 Russian ISS Maint. EVA/yr post assy complete8-Hour Lunar EVAs commencing in 2010250 8-Hour Mars EVAs in 2015

We are here.

D Newman, MIT

The Human PerspectiveThe Human Perspective

• Astronauts suffer from physiological deconditioning– 20–30% muscle atrophy

– 10–40% muscle strength loss

– 1–2% bone density loss/month, data from over 20 cosmonauts

– What’s the relation to aging?

D Newman, MIT

• Design for Human/Robotic Synergy

• Locomotion: Artificial Muscle Actuators– Shape Memory Alloys (SMA), Pneumatic Muscle

Actuators (PMA), Polymers, etc.

• Actively Controlled Elements (feedback, EMG)

• Assistive Actuation and/or Resistance

• Human Force Levels Required

• Keys: Lightweight, Mobility, Feedback

Future Space Suit TechnologiesFuture Space Suit Technologies

D Newman, MIT

Flight Simulations/ReseachFlight Simulations/Reseach

• ‘Assistants/Associates’• Formation flying sytems

D Newman, MIT

Human/Robotics ResearchHuman/Robotics Research

Joint DOFShoulder 3

Elbow 1Wrist 1Hip 3

Knee 1Ankle 3

D Newman, MIT

Evolutionary Space Systems Design

Built-in Flexibility And Upgradability

Upgradablein terms ofcapability

Flexiblein terms of

functionality

• Up-linking new algorithms/software to the spacecraft (e.g., Galileo)

• On-orbit spacecraft servicing human/robot (e.g., HST)

• New Idea: Self-modeling and self-(re)configuring systems (H/W & S/W)

D Newman, MIT

Evolutionary Space Systems Design (2)

• What are the limits of flexibility for evolvable space systems?• What “other” disciplines teach us about Evolutionary Design?

– Various Fields Investigating Evolutionary Design of Complex Systems– Biology, Anthropology, Cognitive Sciences, Architecture...

• Major steps in human evolution and possible parallels with spaceworkforce (EVA/EVR) system design:

Bipedalism

Civilization

Encephalization

Bipedality seems to be a major “innovation” that allowed humans to enter a new “adaptive zone”.

Highly capableon-board software

Multiple evolvable systems

?Hardware, sensors,smart actuators...

D Newman, MIT

Evolutionary Space Systems Design (3)Evolutionary Space Systems Design (3)

• A Challenge: Scalability!

• Much can be learned: extensive knowledge in “thesciences” and “Nature” regarding scalable systems

• Biology of transportation (flight, locomotion, mass vs.speed of transport)

• Some principles and design guidelines are apparent inthe literature and very well studied in the animalworld. (i.e., showing emergent properties,collaboration, etc.)

D Newman, MITSputnik Hubble Space Telescope Deep Space 1

?

The Human Evolution Paradigm?

Humans/Robots

1969 2020?

NASA JSC Robonaut

D Newman, MIT

• Altered mechanics of motion in reduced gravity

• Revolutionary breakthroughs: advanced methodologies &biologically-inspired designs

• Human/Robotic optimized roles

• Evolvable Space Systems

ConclusionsConclusions