Bio-Inspired Strategies Are Adaptable to Sensors Manufactured on the Moon

Abstract

Bio-inspired strategies for robotic sensing are essential for in situ manufactured sensors on the Moon. Sensors are one crucial component of robots that should be manufactured from lunar resources to industrialize the Moon at low cost. We are concerned with two classes of sensor: (a) position sensors and derivatives thereof are the most elementary of measurements; and (b) light sensing arrays provide for distance measurement within the visible waveband. Terrestrial approaches to sensor design cannot be accommodated within the severe limitations imposed by the material resources and expected manufacturing competences on the Moon. Displacement and strain sensors may be constructed as potentiometers with aluminium extracted from anorthite. Anorthite is also a source of silica from which quartz may be manufactured. Thus, piezoelectric sensors may be constructed. Silicone plastic (siloxane) is an elastomer that may be derived from lunar volatiles. This offers the prospect for tactile sensing arrays. All components of photomultiplier tubes may be constructed from lunar resources. However, the spatial resolution of photomultiplier tubes is limited so only modest array sizes can be constructed. This requires us to exploit biomimetic strategies: (i) optical flow provides the visual navigation competences of insects implemented through modest circuitry, and (ii) foveated vision trades the visual resolution deficiencies with higher resolution of pan-tilt motors enabled by micro-stepping. Thus, basic sensors may be manufactured from lunar resources. They are elementary components of robotic machines that are crucial for constructing a sustainable lunar infrastructure. Constraints imposed by the Moon may be compensated for using biomimetic strategies which are adaptable to non-Earth environments.

Keywords: biomimetic sensing; biomimetic vision; in situ resource utilization; lunar industrialization; lunar resources; sensors.

Figure A1

Industrial ecology for industrialisation of the Moon [22] (emboldened oxides are feedstock for molten salt electrolytic reduction to metal [14]).

Figure 1

Artistic impression of a lunar industrial architecture for building lunar infrastructure.

Figure 2

Error excursion of camera from its desired pointing trajectory (a) using feedback control alone and (b) using feedback supplemented by feedforward control (from [97]).

Figure 2

Error excursion of camera from its desired pointing trajectory (a) using feedback control alone and (b) using feedback supplemented by feedforward control (from [97]).

Figure 3

FDM-printed rotor and stator using Proto-Pasta^TM: the rotor has a diameter of 50 mm by length of 15 mm embedded with the stator of width of 95 mm by height of 105 mm by length of 25 mm.