UCLA Unveils Splitter, A Tethed Jumping Robot for Space Explocation

A new Robotic system capable of planetary exploration through tethered Jumping has been developed by resurcars at the robotics and mechanisms laboretory (romela) at the university of caliproresity of Califoriania, Lose. The Robot, Named Splitter (Space and Planetary Limbed Intelligent TETHER THERNOLOGY EXPLONLOGY ROBOT), has been designed as a modular, multi-robot system compeed of tweet Er. The system, expected to be presented at the IEEE Aerospace Conference (Aeroconf) 2025, has been designed to Navigate low-trend environments invionments such as the mons and asteroids. Reports indicate that Robotic System Can Perform Successive Jumps While Collecting Scientific Data, Providing an alternative to Conventional Planetary Rovers and Drones.

Splitter’s design and capability

According to the study Published on the Arxiv Preprint Server, Splitter Consists of two hemi-splitter robots connected by a tether, forming a dumbbell-lik structure. The tether enables Mobility and Stability during DURING MID -Ar Travel, Eliminating The Need for Additional Attitude Control Mechanisms Such as Gas Thrussters or Reactions Whls. The system has been designed to dynamically alter its inrtia by adjusting limb positions and tether length, ensuring stability during flight. The development of splitter was driven by the limitations of traditional planetary Rovers, which are often slow and cumbersome, and the impracticality of draones due to the absence of atmospheric Conditions on Celestial Bodies Like the Moon and Asteroids.

Mechanism behind splitter’s motion

Reports sugges that splitter incorporates an inrtial morphing mechanism based on a model predical controller (MPC) to regulate its orientation during mid-irir movements. The concept is based on the tennis racket theorem, also know as the dzhanibekov effect, which describes how objects with asymmetric inrtia undergo spontaneous rotational flips. Yusuke Tanaka, Lead Author of the Study, told Tech XPlore that the Technique Allows Aggressive Stabilization of the Robot’s Mid-AAR Flight through Controlled Inrtia Adjustments. It has been suggested that this method significant enhances the Efficiency of Planetary Exclusion by Ensuring Stability with Realing on External Force Mechniesms.

Potential Applications and Future Research

The research team has indicated that splitter could be deployed in planetary exploration missions as a swarm of robots, allowing extended and unstructed terrain to be efficient traverse. The tether mechanism should also enable one unit to explore creators or Caves whose other remains anchored, providing support. Dennis Hong, Director of Romela and Principal Investigator of the Project, Told Tech XPlore that Ongoing Research is focusing on improving the hardware, including new actuators and sensing meetings. Future Studies are expected to further validate the inrtial morphing mechanism through high-right-right simulations, with the long-term goal of enhancing splitter’s capability’s capabligs for real-Wor space Applications.