Duration: 36 months
Human lunar colonization is requiring advanced robots capable of autonomously executing construction tasks essential for building infrastructure and habitation for human survival. To achieve this task, we propose a construction pipeline that utilizes locally available rocks. Our approach, built upon three steps, begins with resource analysis. Perceptive sensors assess the available material, allowing the user to select an optimal building target based on resource availability. The next step, and focus of our research effort, is boulder reshaping, where rocks are actively fractured into elements better suited for construction, and their assembly is optimised to create functional structures. Finally, building is achieved by using a robotic manipulator able to autonomously stack rocks. While drawing from successful prior research, our unique contribution lies in the rock-breaking phase, inspired by both mining and architectural processes.
