GITAI Inchworm Robotic Arm passes key Lunar simulation test, achieves TRL6

GITAI Inchworm Robotic Arm passes key Lunar simulation test, achieves TRL6
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 24, 2024

GITAI USA Inc. (GITAI), a leader in space robotics, has announced that its Inchworm-type Robotic Arm has successfully completed testing and achieved Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL6). The tests were conducted in a thermal vacuum chamber designed to replicate the harsh environment of the lunar South Pole.

GITAI is working to significantly reduce space operation costs by developing advanced robotic technologies such as robotic satellites for on-orbit services, lunar rovers for infrastructure projects, and versatile inchworm-type robotic arms. These innovations are developed internally at the company.

In August 2024, GITAI relocated its Los Angeles headquarters and manufacturing facility to a new, larger site, quadrupling production space. The company has since conducted rigorous environmental testing, including simulating lunar conditions in its proprietary regolith chamber.

The latest phase of testing focused on the GITAI Inchworm-type Robotic Arm, which was subjected to a thermal vacuum chamber simulating lunar South Pole conditions. The test replicated extreme temperature fluctuations, from the extreme cold of permanently shadowed regions to warmer daytime conditions.

Power was provided by four wireless transmission systems around the chamber, and during the coldest conditions, the temperature reached -140C, with a vacuum level below 1E-5 Torr. Additionally, the arm's performance was evaluated under battery power to simulate a power outage scenario.

Despite the harsh conditions, the Inchworm-type Robotic Arm successfully operated for 29 hours, traveling about one mile (1,503 steps) using its unique inchworm locomotion. The team also tested the robot's docking capabilities by simulating satellite servicing, where the robotic arm attached an end effector and successfully captured a satellite's separation ring.

Following these tests, the GITAI Inchworm-type Robotic Arm has now achieved TRL6. Additionally, the company's S2 robotic arm, demonstrated outside the ISS earlier this year, has reached TRL7. Since the Inchworm-type Robotic Arm shares 80% of its core components with the S2, it is also considered TRL7 for low-Earth orbit missions.

GITAI is committed to advancing the readiness of its products, aiming to further reduce the cost of space operations and support lunar infrastructure projects through its robotic solutions.