Design and Development of Modular Limbs for Reconfigurable Robots on the Moon

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Diaz, Gustavo H., Jain, A. Sejal, Brugnera, Matteo, Neppel, Elian, Santra, Shreya, Uno, Kentaro, Yoshida, Kazuya
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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author Diaz, Gustavo H.
Jain, A. Sejal
Brugnera, Matteo
Neppel, Elian
Santra, Shreya
Uno, Kentaro
Yoshida, Kazuya
author_facet Diaz, Gustavo H.
Jain, A. Sejal
Brugnera, Matteo
Neppel, Elian
Santra, Shreya
Uno, Kentaro
Yoshida, Kazuya
contents In this paper, we present the development of 4-DOF robot limbs, which we call Moonbots, designed to connect in various configurations with each other and wheel modules, enabling adaptation to different environments and tasks. These modular components are intended primarily for robotic systems in space exploration and construction on the Moon in our Moonshot project. Such modular robots add flexibility and versatility for space missions where resources are constrained. Each module is driven by a common actuator characterized by a high torque-to-speed ratio, supporting both precise control and dynamic motion when required. This unified actuator design simplifies development and maintenance across the different module types. The paper describes the hardware implementation, the mechanical design of the modules, and the overall software architecture used to control and coordinate them. Additionally, we evaluate the control performance of the actuator under various load conditions to characterize its suitability for modular robot applications. To demonstrate the adaptability of the system, we introduce nine functional configurations assembled from the same set of modules: 4DOF-limb, 8DOF-limb, vehicle, dragon, minimal, quadruped, cargo, cargo-minimal, and bike. These configurations reflect different locomotion strategies and task-specific behaviors, offering a practical foundation for further research in reconfigurable robotic systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_04541
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Design and Development of Modular Limbs for Reconfigurable Robots on the Moon
Diaz, Gustavo H.
Jain, A. Sejal
Brugnera, Matteo
Neppel, Elian
Santra, Shreya
Uno, Kentaro
Yoshida, Kazuya
Robotics
In this paper, we present the development of 4-DOF robot limbs, which we call Moonbots, designed to connect in various configurations with each other and wheel modules, enabling adaptation to different environments and tasks. These modular components are intended primarily for robotic systems in space exploration and construction on the Moon in our Moonshot project. Such modular robots add flexibility and versatility for space missions where resources are constrained. Each module is driven by a common actuator characterized by a high torque-to-speed ratio, supporting both precise control and dynamic motion when required. This unified actuator design simplifies development and maintenance across the different module types. The paper describes the hardware implementation, the mechanical design of the modules, and the overall software architecture used to control and coordinate them. Additionally, we evaluate the control performance of the actuator under various load conditions to characterize its suitability for modular robot applications. To demonstrate the adaptability of the system, we introduce nine functional configurations assembled from the same set of modules: 4DOF-limb, 8DOF-limb, vehicle, dragon, minimal, quadruped, cargo, cargo-minimal, and bike. These configurations reflect different locomotion strategies and task-specific behaviors, offering a practical foundation for further research in reconfigurable robotic systems.
title Design and Development of Modular Limbs for Reconfigurable Robots on the Moon
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.04541