Researchers successfully completed a sample collection task using a virtual simulation that transmitted commands to a physical robot, replicating the simulation's actions. The process relied solely on monitoring the simulation, without needing physical camera feeds, making the tool particularly useful for managing signal delays during lunar operations.

With lunar lander missions increasing this decade, various public and private organizations are exploring ways to extract valuable resources like oxygen and water from lunar regolith (moon dust). Remote handling of regolith is critical for these efforts, as it first needs to be gathered from the Moon's surface. However, lunar dust poses unique challenges due to its sticky and abrasive nature, and operations would occur under reduced gravity.

Joe Louca, the lead researcher from the University's School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, stated, "One option could be to have astronauts use this simulation to prepare for upcoming lunar exploration missions."

He added, "We can adjust how strong gravity is in this model and provide haptic feedback, so we could give astronauts a sense of how Moon dust would feel and behave in lunar conditions - which has a sixth of the gravitational pull of the Earth's."

The simulation could also facilitate remote robot operations on the Moon from Earth, bypassing the issue of communication delays. Using a virtual model of lunar dust can lower the barriers to entry for developing lunar robots. Developers could test their systems without needing costly simulants or specialized facilities.

The research team will now evaluate how human operators interact with the system when faced with several seconds of delay. Even technically sound systems may need to address user trust to be widely adopted.

Joe further explained, "The model predicted the outcome of a regolith simulant scooping task with sufficient accuracy to be considered effective and trustworthy 100% and 92.5% of the time."

He emphasized, "In the next decade, we're going to see several crewed and uncrewed missions to the Moon, such as NASA's Artemis program and China's Chang'e program. This simulation could be a valuable tool to support preparation or operation for these missions."

The testing took place at the European Space Agency's European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications in Harwell.

Research Report:Demonstrating Trustworthiness in Open-Loop Model Mediated Teleoperation for Collecting Lunar Regolith Simulant

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