Integrated MAST task space control with a proprietary ISS robotic arm under development, using Drake multibody dynamics to simulate manipulation tasks and quantify coupled spacecraft motion caused by robotic arm actuation.
Free flying spacecraft model
6 DOF
Joint + task space control
2 MODES
Task space control integration
MAST
Multibody physics simulation
DRAKE
The coupled system
01Problem
Evaluate whether the MAST task-space control library could support the manipulation and control requirements of a robotic arm designed for ISS operations.
The controller needed to command complex end effector tasks while coordinating motion across the arm's full joint space.
In microgravity, arm actuation transfers momentum to the spacecraft, meaning manipulation tasks must be evaluated together with the vehicle's coupled motion.
Hardware testing was limited, creating a need for a simulation environment that could validate both manipulation behavior and coupled spacecraft response.
02Approach
Integrated MAST with a Drake based multibody simulation of the robotic arm and spacecraft system.
Connected task space controller commands to the simulated arm, converting Cartesian end effector goals into coordinated joint level motion.
Modeled the arm and spacecraft as a coupled multibody system so base translation and rotation caused by robotic actuation could be observed directly.
Used Drake's dynamics and contact modeling to test free space motion, manipulation tasks, and interactions before deployment on physical hardware.
03Result
Demonstrated MAST task space control on the simulated space manipulator while capturing the spacecraft motion induced by arm actuation.
The integrated stack executed multiple manipulation tasks through coordinated joint motion across the robotic arm.
Simulation exposed how different arm trajectories transferred momentum into the spacecraft and affected vehicle pose during manipulation.
The resulting environment provided a repeatable test bed for evaluating new control behaviors before integrating them with the physical ISS robotic system.