{"id":24598,"date":"2022-06-02T01:53:37","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T17:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/mda-sees-canadarm3-commercial-spinoff-success-in-robotic-partnership-with-lockheed-martin-general-motors\/"},"modified":"2022-06-02T01:53:37","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T17:53:37","slug":"mda-sees-canadarm3-commercial-spinoff-success-in-robotic-partnership-with-lockheed-martin-general-motors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/mda-sees-canadarm3-commercial-spinoff-success-in-robotic-partnership-with-lockheed-martin-general-motors\/","title":{"rendered":"MDA sees Canadarm3 commercial spinoff success in robotic partnership with Lockheed Martin, General Motors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With over 21 years of service onboard the International Space Station, Canadarm2, along with Dextre and the OBSS (Orbiter Boom Sensor System), has served as a mission-critical tool in support of the construction of the orbital outpost and its ongoing maintenance.<\/p>\n<p>The robotic crew also serves as testbeds for innovative concepts to enable future space operations like on-orbit refueling and robotic arm AI technology.<\/p>\n<p>Now, as Canadarm\u2019s developer, MDA, works toward developing Canadarm3 for the Lunar Gateway, the company is also looking closely at the Moon via a partnership with Lockheed Martin and General Motors to provide robotics for a new, large lunar rover \u2014 a commercial spinoff of the still-under-development Canadarm3 robotic advancements.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMDA joining the industrial partnership is really an iconic moment for us,\u201d said Holly Johnson, Vice President of Robotics and Space Operations, MDA. \u201cWe\u2019re leveraging the Canadarm space technology, which just stands on its own in terms of what it has enabled in human spaceflight and space exploration over the past many decades.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeveraging that and creating commercial spinoffs [for the lunar surface] right on the heels of the development of Canadarm3 is an exciting partnership for us with Lockheed Martin and General Motors where we really feel that creating this basic infrastructure and establishing the [commercial] infrastructure of mobility on the Moon is something that will enable not only government missions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So what is this arm in MDA\u2019s partnership with Lockheed Martin and General Motors and how does it relate to the ongoing MDA initiatives with Canadarm3 and the Canadian Space Agency\u2019s LEAP (Lunar Exploration Acceleration Program) rover?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Our Vision for Lunar Mobility with GM\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fg0IvELxEuA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid0\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>NASA mission patches<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Aerospace &amp; Defense<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Space tourism guides<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>\n<p>     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n<p>The concept for the new and large Lunar Terrain Vehicle involves a robotic arm 2.5 meters in length that features numerous internal control systems and software leveraged from Canadarm, Canadarm2, Dextre, the OBSS, and Canadarm3.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the arm has to be both controllable by astronauts using the rover as well as completely autonomous to support operations when astronauts are not present.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"widget-title penci-border-arrow\">See Also<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Artemis 3 Discussion<\/li>\n<li>Space Science coverage<\/li>\n<li>L2 Future Spacecraft<\/li>\n<li>Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cWhen you think about robotic systems in space that have proven to be very safe interacting with astronauts, that\u2019s a pretty key requirement. And that\u2019s something that we can leverage because we\u2019ve done that so frequently, and we\u2019re experts in the field,\u201d noted Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>But what does that interface look like in terms of crew control and full autonomy?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe architecture of control and operation is still in development,\u201d related Johnson. \u201cSo the teams right now are doing an optimization strategy. We\u2019re going to create a framework that will assess the level of autonomy required.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf there\u2019s a relatively simple task that can be done with prepared interfaces that\u2019s repeatable in a constrained environment, that leads you to one direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-71123\" class=\"size-full wp-image-71123\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/DextreCanadarm2.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/DextreCanadarm2.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/DextreCanadarm2-350x197.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/DextreCanadarm2-622x350.jpeg 622w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/DextreCanadarm2-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/DextreCanadarm2-1170x658.jpeg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-71123\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Dextre\u2019s Latching End Effectors (or \u201chands\u201d) used to grab hold of various objections on the Station. This is a view captured by a Station camera operated by the Communications RF Onboard Networks Utilization Specialist (CRONUS). (Credit: CSA\/NASA)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf there\u2019s a more complex task, whether humans are involved or not, that may lead you to another direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And all of that knowledge and ability stems from the long history of MDA space robotics, specifically the control and operational software developed, tested, and implemented over decades across the various arms used on NASA and NASA-led programs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you look at the types of operations that Canadarm2 performs today compared to what it was originally designed to do, we\u2019ve really evolved the operational modes,\u201d noted Johnson. \u201cWe\u2019ve evolved the types of tasks that it can do. And really that\u2019s leveraging the control base and the software base that the teams have built up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, MDA has incorporated some of the enhancements being designed for and used on Canadarm3 for the upcoming Lunar Gateway outpost in the new Lunar Terrain Vehicle with Lockheed Martin and General Motors.<\/p>\n<p>While the new arm for the rover will be much smaller than the preceding Canadarms, \u201ca lot of the internal smarts and the control systems and the control software is directly leveraged from prior projects, including Canadarm3.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This represents a direct commercial application of Canadarm3 technology\u2026 while Canadarm3\u2019s own development is ongoing.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1361396864768233475&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2022%2F06%2Fmda-robotics-lm-gm%2F&amp;sessionId=209bb5b53e08c008dd7ba69f603bed400b1725e6&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1361396864768233475\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783497012096786697=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Drawing on Shuttle\/Station history, @MDA_space has begun development of #Canadarm3 for #Gateway. As initial requirements are set, the company is also working parallel developing of new commercial space robotics.<\/p>\n<p>From Nathan Barker (@NASA_Nerd) &amp; myself: https:\/\/t.co\/HtUMvQgWPV<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chris G (@ChrisG_SpX) February 15, 2021<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThis is really exciting!\u201d related Johnson. And Canadarm3\u2019s software isn\u2019t the only area where it could \u2014 and likely will \u2014 assist MDA\u2019s other commercial robot arm offerings.<\/p>\n<p>AI will play a key role as well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we look at Canadarm3, which [will be] 1,000 times further away from Earth than Canadarm2, the need to adapt autonomy and artificial intelligence for that system to understand its environment, make real-time decisions, execute on tasks from a higher level command, and then navigate different scenarios\u2026 that\u2019s critical,\u201d said Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd in some cases, there may be decision making that it can do. In other cases, it might pause and wait to hear back from Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That AI is directly applicable to an autonomous lunar rover arm\u2019s need to assess the local area so that it can pick up or interact with a target without bumping into other objects or being confused by a shadow on the lunar surface.<\/p>\n<p>But that brings up another question: What will the end effector \u2014 the hands, so to speak \u2014 of this lunar rover arm look like when it might have to pick up rocks on Monday and then need to use a scientific tool to investigate a different rock on Tuesday?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-86336\" class=\"size-full wp-image-86336\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/NASA-Astronauts-Lunar-South-Pole.jpeg.pc-adaptive.1920.medium..jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/NASA-Astronauts-Lunar-South-Pole.jpeg.pc-adaptive.1920.medium..jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/NASA-Astronauts-Lunar-South-Pole.jpeg.pc-adaptive.1920.medium.-350x197.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/NASA-Astronauts-Lunar-South-Pole.jpeg.pc-adaptive.1920.medium.-622x350.jpeg 622w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/NASA-Astronauts-Lunar-South-Pole.jpeg.pc-adaptive.1920.medium.-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/NASA-Astronauts-Lunar-South-Pole.jpeg.pc-adaptive.1920.medium.-1170x658.jpeg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-86336\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Illustration of NASA astronauts on the lunar South Pole, their potential lunar terrain vehicles seen nearby. (Credit: NASA)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a really good question, and we have developed a commercial line of robotic interfaces and end effectors for that exact purpose,\u201d said Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving a common interface that has actuation\/power\/data capability that can interact with payloads, with other rovers, with different toolsets\u2026 if you have that standardized robotic interface, you can design tools and payload.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo it\u2019s kind of a multipurpose end effector, augmented with different tools.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In this way, the arm is nearly universal in terms of what it can enable, as long as the tools properly interface with the end effector. In theory, this type of universality could allow for multiple tools to be taken on a rover \u2014 tools the arm could individually grab to perform a task before grabbing a different tool for a different task.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we have a standardized interface, we can work with commercial providers who have payloads, who have scientific instruments,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cBut it won\u2019t be necessarily on us to provide all of the exact utilities or the features that the customer requires.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe goal is to be adaptable so we can accommodate as many of those use cases as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Lockheed Martin and GM to Develop Lunar Rover\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TpXz6QAAJWE?start=9&amp;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid1\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In other words, MDA seeks to give the industry a universal attachment from which various tools \u2014 including mission-specific ones \u2014 can be used.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s really just the start, according to MDA.&nbsp;\u201cAs increased interest goes to the lunar surface, whether that\u2019s government or commercial, [the goal is] to look at supporting a wide range of customers for their mobility needs \u2014 NASA and Artemis being one of those, but other commercial and government customers following after,\u201d added Johnson.<\/p>\n<p>The new initiative with Lockheed Martin and General Motors is separate from MDA\u2019s ongoing participation in the Canadian Space Agency\u2019s LEAP initiative, which seeks to advance Canadian lunar technologies and activities via a lunar rover.<\/p>\n<p>And, in large part, the LEAP and Gateway programs (the latter of which necessitated Canadarm3\u2019s development) were designed from CSA\u2019s standpoint to do exactly what MDA is now seeing \u2014 especially with Canadarm3: to advance technology and industry that can then be used in commercial applications.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can really feel the pace of commercial advancement,\u201d enthused Johnson. \u201cAnd when you look at new infrastructures in orbit and eventually as everyone kind of turns their head from the Moon to Mars, we really think that robotics is a key enabler of space infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(Lead image: proposed lunar terrain vehicle concepts. Credit: Lockheed Martin)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With over 21 years of service onboard the International Space Station, Canadarm2, along with Dextre and the OBSS (Orbiter Boom Sensor System), has served as a mission-critical tool in support of the construction of the orbital outpost and its ongoing maintenance. The robotic crew also serves as testbeds for innovative concepts to enable future space [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[304,584,421,8569,8570,472,194,625],"class_list":["post-24598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-artemis","tag-canada","tag-csa","tag-general-motors","tag-leap","tag-lockheed-martin","tag-mda","tag-moon"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24598"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24598\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}