The goal of this project is a three-dimensional, electromechanical gravity compensation system for the purpose of duplicating on-orbit telerobotic operations. the project objective is to develop this concept to the point that the system parameters will allow, as a base-line,a full-scale flight… More

The innovation proposed is a compact, highly-controllable, fail-safe clutch/brake unit for use in on-orbit robotic manipulators and other (including terrestrial) mechanisms. the unit combines the strength and simplicity of the conventional over-running clutch with the controllability ofthe… More

Presently, many small and medium sized payload modules are secured in place with #10 screws. Unfortunately, these screws cross thread easily and require epoxy to survive launch, rendering small and medium payloads as non-candidates for on-orbit servicing. An innovative fastener for payloads is… More

Honeybee Robotics is proposing a new type of planetary and small bodies sample acquisition and sample handling system that can operate in extreme environments and satisfy crucial mission related science and sample return requirements. Many in-situ instruments are currently only capable of handling… More

A new type of planetary body sample acquisition tool called a Comet Nucleus Surface Sampler is proposed for development. The initial proposed use of this innovation is for comet surface sampling but the system can be applied to asteroids and Mars too. This invention allows for direct sampling of a… More

A new type of planetary body sample acquisition tool called a Comet Nucleus Surface Sampler is proposed for development. The initial proposed use of this innovation is for comet surface sampling but the system can be applied to asteroids and Mars too. This invention allows for direct sampling of a… More

Honeybee Robotics is proposing a new type of planetary and small bodies sample acquisition and sample handling system that can operate in extreme environments and satisfy crucial mission related science and sample return requirements. Many in-situ instruments are currently only capable of handling… More

Honeybee Robotics is proposing a new type of planetary and small bodies sample acquisition and sample handling system that can operate in extreme environments and satisfy crucial mission related science and sample return requirements. Many in-situ instruments are currently only capable of handling… More

"The objective of this proposal is to establish the feasibility of a lightweight, articulated boom concept capable of providing a mechanical connection between two spacecraft while maintaining a high-degree of dynamic isolation. During a previous study,the functional tasks of the boom system were… More

"The objective of this proposal is to develop and demonstrate a lightning protection system for rotating structures. Specifically, we plan to design a system compatible with a nose-mounted ball turret such as the one employed by Boeing in their AirborneLaser System. Conventional lightning… More

The objective of this proposal is to continue development of a Long-Stroke Isolation System for Large Space Structures. The Phase II effort will see the development of a one DOF System Test Bed (STB) for further validation of ARM component models. TheSTB will be designed to represent the lightly… More

Honeybee proposes a Rotary Lightning Protection System (RLPS) that combines the existing metal mesh/coating approach to lightning strike mitigation with the innovative Rotary Band Contact (RBC) concept to provide a ground path for rotating compositestructures. The RLPS design will not only protect… More

Honeybee proposes a Rotary Lightning Protection System (RLPS) that combines the existing metal mesh/coating approach to lightning strike mitigation with the innovative Rotary Band Contact (RBC) concept to provide a ground path for rotating compositestructures. The RLPS design will not only protect… More

Honeybee proposes a Rotary Lightning Protection System (RLPS) that combines the existing metal mesh/coating approach to lightning strike mitigation with the innovative Rotary Band Contact (RBC) concept to provide a ground path for rotating compositestructures. The RLPS design will not only protect… More

The overall objective of this proposal is to establish the feasibility of a lightweight, universal precision gimbal that provides excellent structural stiffness, low weight and allows for vibration isolation and on-and off axis control of small payloads of a range of shapes and sizes during launch… More

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate has developed the Deployable Structures Experiment (DSX) to research the technologies needed for large space structures and apertures, high-power generation, and survivability in the high radiation environment of a medium earth… More

The objective of the proposed effort is to prove the feasibility and develop preliminary concepts for a rugged, portable, and robust system capable of assessing in-situ soil properties. Currently a rapid soil characterization system does not exist and the proposed work is essential to the… More

The National Research Council's Decadal Study released in July of 2003 recognizes Venus as an important and probable target for a New Frontiers mission within the next decade. NASA's New Frontiers missions are directed towards answering key scientific questions regarding planetary formation and… More

Honeybee Robotics proposes to:?Derive and document the functional and technical requirements for Aerobot surface sampling and sample handling across a range of aerial platforms, mission applications and exploration targets, like Mars and Titan.?Create a preliminary design for a tether or boom… More

In response to the need for motors, actuators and drilling systems that can operate in the harsh venusian environment for extended periods of time, on the order of several hours to days, Honeybee Robotics proposes continued development of an extreme temperature motor and an extreme temperature drill… More

Dust, especially lunar dust, has been identified as a significant and present challenge in future exploration missions. In addition to posing contamination and health risks for human explorers, the interlocking, angular nature of lunar dust and its broad grain size distribution make it particularly… More

Honeybee Robotics proposes to develop an ultrasonic actuator using high performance single crystal relaxor piezoelectric materials. These new materials, with strains exceeding 1% and electromechanical coupling exceeding 90%, allow for higher output torques and better efficiencies than possible with… More

A goal of the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) thrust is to enable turn around of a tactical satellite within six days, from mission call-up to on-orbit operation. The ability to produce such a spacecraft would be a vast departure from the norm of large, complex, costly custom spacecraft that… More

Small serpentine robots currently under development by programs such as MDMR create a direct need for a miniature visualization system that can provide depth information. Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) is a suitable technology that may be adapted to fill this need. Honeybee Robotics proposes… More

Honeybee Robotics proposes to build upon technology we have previously developed with Goddard Space Flight Center and redesign specifically for the lunar environment a "gear bearing" transmission. We intend to bring this technology to a higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for the number of… More

In response to the need for motors and actuators that can operate in the harsh venusian environment for extended periods of time, on the order of several hours to days, Honeybee Robotics proposes continued development of an extreme temperature brushless motor and a position feedback device (resolver… More

As part of the NASA goal of "locating and characterizing lunar volatile resources", Honeybee Robotics proposes to investigate two novel technologies that both are powered by a new monopropellant, NOFB3, developed by Firestar Engineering. Honeybee will test key concepts for a pneumatic drill,… More

Honeybee Robotics, in collaboration with Firestar Engineering, proposes to continue development of a pneumatic regolith excavating, moving and heating approach. With this additional maturity, this base technology will enable multiple applications in lunar surface operations. In particular: We… More

Future lunar initiatives will demand sophisticated operation of mobile robotics platforms. In particular, lunar site operations will benefit from robots, both autonomous and tele-operated, that complement or replace human extravehicular activity (EVA). Three-dimensional sensing technology is at the… More

In response to the need for motors, actuators and sample acquisition system that can operate in the harsh Venusian environment for extended periods of time, on the order of several hours to days, Honeybee Robotics proposes development of high temperature scoop and joint; and continued development of… More

The purpose of the proposed effort is to understand and characterize the fundamental limitations of drilling one to three meters into challenging materials which may be encountered in robotic drilling in situ planetary missions. The one-to-three meter range has been identified as a critical regime… More

Future robotic planetary exploration missions will benefit greatly from the ability to capture rock and/or regolith core samples that deliver the stratigraphy of the target formation intact to the in situ analysis suite. Obtaining and delivering consolidated/unconsolidated material is a much more… More

Future planetary exploration missions will require compact, lightweight robotic manipulators for handling a variety of tools & instruments without increasing the weight of the robot arm. The current design philosophy of MER, Beagle 2, Phoenix & MSL, sees select tools and instruments permanently… More

The proposed effort will perform a detailed examination of dust mitigation and tolerance strategies for connections and mechanisms to be employed on the lunar surface. These strategies will be examined by characterizing the effects of lunar dust simulants on the function of basic mechanical and… More

A goal of the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) thrust is to enable turn around of a tactical satellite within six days, from mission call-up to on-orbit operation. The ability to produce such a spacecraft would be a vast departure from the norm of large, complex, costly custom spacecraft that… More

Autonomous surface sampling systems are necessary, near term, to construct a historical view of planetary significant events; as well as allow for the identification of materials useful for ISRU activities. Paramount to this is exploration missions capable of in-situ analysis of core samples that… More

Lunar dust has been identified as a significant and present challenge in future exploration missions. Significant development is called for in the area of devices and structures that tolerate or mitigate the presence of Lunar dust. Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corporation (SMC) seeks to… More

Lunar dust has been identified as a significant and present challenge in future exploration missions. The interlocking, angular nature of Lunar dust and its broad grain size distribution make it particularly detrimental to mechanisms with which it may come into contact. Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft… More

Future lunar site operations will benefit from mobile robots, both autonomous and tele-operated, that complement or replace human extravehicular activity. Three-dimensional sensing technology is at the heart of such functionality, enabling reliable navigation in complex, dynamic environments, and… More

Robotic planetary exploration missions will need to perform in-situ analysis of rock and/or regolith samples or returning samples back to earth. Obtaining and delivering a sample can be a complex engineering problem, especially if it's done autonomously thousands of miles away. To accommodate future… More

Honeybee Robotics proposes to develop a vacuum compatible percussive dynamic cone penetrometer (PDCP), for establishing soil bin characteristics, with the ultimate intent of taking it to a flight system level. Penetrometers are used to determine the Cone index (CI), which is a composite index… More

Honeybee Robotics proposes to develop a vacuum compatible, impact-actuated digging tool for the excavation of frozen and compacted regolith on the lunar surface and in the permanently shadowed craters of the lunar poles. This technology development effort will address the most challenging aspects… More

We propose to develop a novel method for deploying heat flow sensors/heaters in a hole and also a novel approach to subsurface access using a percussive method. The sensor deployment concept consists of a deployable string of thermal sensors/heaters initially housed inside a hollow probe. As… More

The primary objective of the proposed effort is to design an impact penetrometer system and analysis method, capable of being deployed remotely by air to a known location at controlled impact velocity, to determine near surface soil geotechnical properties in soft muddy substrates, submerged… More

Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corporation proposes to develop a miniaturized control moment gyro for attitude control of small agile spacecraft. In Phase 1, we will specifically focus on demonstrating feasibility of developing the miniature CMG mechanism. The Phase 1 technical objectives… More

A small-envelope, inexpensive 3D LIDAR with the high performance required by UGV navigation and operations applications does not currently exist. We propose to develop such a sensor, drawing on technology matured by Honeybee Robotics under DARPA and NASA funding. Our 3D Miniature LIDAR (3DML)… More

Honeybee Robotics and iRobot propose to develop technologies that will enable small UGVs to open doors semi-autonomously. These technologies will be integrated in a modular Aladdin Payload that can be retrofitted onto existing general-purpose robots with manipulator arms without extensive hardware… More

Future landed robotic missions to the lunar poles will seek to characterize the properties of subsurface regolith. Current instruments for such in-situ analysis, however, require that geological samples be brought to the surface by a sample acquisition tool and subsequently processed and presented… More

Honeybee Robotics proposes to develop a software tool for facilitating lunar excavation system trades in support of selecting an optimal architecture. This will provide engineers with the ability to quickly examine "What if?" scenarios within a trade space by specifying an excavation architecture… More

In response to the need for actuators, particularly, gear heads, that can operate in the harsh Venusian environment for extended periods of time, on the order of several days to weeks, Honeybee Robotics proposes to develop and demonstrate an extreme temperature compatible gear head. The proposed… More

Lunar dust has been identified as a significant and present challenge in future exploration missions. Significant development is called for in the area of devices and structures that tolerate or mitigate the presence of lunar dust. Honeybee Robotics seeks to develop a scalable dust-tolerant,… More

NASA sees an increasing role in the near future for small satellites in the 5-100 kg size range. A potentially disruptive technology, small satellites are being eyed as platforms for the rapid demonstration of new technologies and important science missions. Currently, small satellite platforms… More

The continued development of automated sample acquisition and handling tools is of critical importance to future robotic missions on Mars, the Moon, Venus, and other planetary bodies. In response to the need for a compact, low mass, low power, and low weight-on-bit coring device, Honeybee Robotics… More

Satellite Communication (SATCOM) is a precious warfighter resource. SATCOM often provides the only information medium capable of delivering required voice, imaging, and video information to military assets in deployed locations. Modern broadband SATCOM satellites, such as AEHF, include small… More

Small spacecraft, particularly CubeSat nanosatellites, are gaining increasing attention as a potential cost-effective platforms for rapid validation of new technologies, work force development and even missions of military or intelligence utility if a higher degree of agility can be achieved. To… More

Micro and nano satellites continue to play an increasing role in future military applications. New mission scenarios are driving the need for higher agility and thus for new actuators capable of meeting the higher torque requirements. In Phase 1, Honeybee Robotics developed a mature concept for a… More

Honeybee Robotics proposes to develop an attachment for MTRS platforms that will provide the capability to dig into hard packed soils and break up concrete. Short of using explosives, a means for uncovering IEDs concealed in hard-packed soil or concrete using a MTRS platform does not currently… More

NASA sees an increasing role in the near future for small satellites in the 5-100 kg size range. A potentially disruptive technology, small satellites are being eyed as platforms for the rapid demonstration of new technologies and important science missions. Currently, small satellite platforms… More

In response to the need for actuators that can operate in the harsh Venusian environment for extended periods of time, Honeybee Robotics conducted extensive research and testing to resolve the tall poles in developing an extreme temperature gear. During the Phase I effort, multiple gear material… More

The continued development of automated sample acquisition and handling tools is of critical importance to future robotic missions on Mars, the Moon, Venus, and other planetary bodies. In response to the need for a compact, low mass, low power, and low weight-on-bit coring device, Honeybee Robotics… More

Honeybee Robotics therefore proposed to develop a software tool for facilitating prospecting and excavation system trades in support of selecting an optimal architecture for the Moon. The tool could serve as a starting platform for excavation software for Mars or asteroids. The tool will provide… More

Future landed robotic missions to the lunar poles will seek to characterize the properties of subsurface regolith. Current instruments for such in-situ analysis, however, require that geological samples be brought to the surface by a sample acquisition tool and subsequently processed and presented… More

NASA sees an increasing role in the near future for small satellites in the 5-100 kg size range. A potentially disruptive technology, small satellites, which are low cost and can be delivered in months, are being eyed as platforms for rapid demonstration of new technologies and even important… More

NASA is investigating a Mars Sample Return Mission, consisting of at least three separate missions: 1) Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher, MAX-C (sample acquisition and caching), 2) A fetch rover and the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), 3) Earth Return Vehicle (ERV).The primary goal of the MAX-C mission is… More

The heat flow probe directly answers requirements in the topic: S1.11 Lunar Science Instruments and Technology: "Geophysical Measurements: Systems, subsystems, and components for heat flow sensorsÂ?" The primary objective of the Phase I/II is to develop TRL6, robust, low-power and… More

ABSTRACT: The electrical power system (EPS) for spacecraft generally is comprised of a solar array system for collecting solar power when exposed to sunlight and onboard batteries for storing power that can be used when the satellite is in eclipse. While this method has been used for decades, the… More

In order to provide the Navy with an efficient, reliable, safe and easy to use means of attaching CMDS magazines to their housings on board aircrafts, Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corporation proposes to develop an innovative fastening system. The proposed effort will focus on developing… More

Earth orbiting spacecraft, deep space science missions, and unmanned aerial vehicles are facing increasing data volumes to be transmitted to ground stations. Laser Communication (Laser Com) terminals are necessary to handle the demand. Additionally, nano class satellites have emerged as desirable… More

Extracting water and volatiles from icy soils requires excavating and manipulating those soils as feedstock, but the Phoenix mission demonstrated some of the difficulties that may be encountered during such operations. The solution to these problems is an integrated mobile mining and water… More

Honeybee Robotics and iRobot propose to develop technologies that will enable small UGVs to open doors semi-autonomously. These technologies will be integrated in a modular Aladdin Payload that can be retrofitted onto existing general-purpose robots with manipulator arms without extensive hardware… More

In order to provide the Navy with an efficient, reliable, safe and easy to use means of attaching CMDS magazines to their housings on board aircrafts, Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corporation proposes to continue development of an innovative fastening system successfully demonstrated in… More