1 Department of Systems Engineering and Automation, Carlos III University, Madrid, Spain.
2 ARQUIMEA Ingeniería S.L.U., Madrid, Spain.
Soft Robot. 2019 Feb;6(1):21-37. doi: 10.1089/soro.2018.0020. Epub 2018 Nov 20.
Human exploration of the Solar System is one of the most challenging objectives included in the space programs of the most important space agencies in the world. Since the Apollo program, and especially with the construction and operation of the International Space Station, extravehicular activities (EVA) have become an important part of space exploration. This article presents a soft hand exoskeleton designed to address one of the problems that astronauts face during spacewalks: hand fatigue caused by the pressurized EVA gloves. This device will reduce the stiffness of the spacesuit glove by counteracting the force exerted by the pressurized glove. To this end, the system makes use of a set of six flexible actuators, which use a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire as the actuating element. SMAs have been chosen because some of their features, such as low volume and high force-to-weight ratio, make them a suitable choice taking into account the constraints imposed by the use of the device in a spacesuit. Besides describing the different mechanical and electronic subsystems that compose the exoskeleton, this article presents a preliminary assessment of the device; several tests to characterize its nominal operation have been carried out, as well as position and force control tests to study its controllability and evaluate its suitability as a force assistive device.
人类对太阳系的探索是世界上最重要的太空机构的太空计划中最具挑战性的目标之一。自阿波罗计划以来，特别是随着国际空间站的建设和运行，舱外活动（EVA）已成为太空探索的重要组成部分。本文介绍了一种软手外骨骼，旨在解决宇航员在太空行走中面临的问题之一：加压 EVA 手套导致的手部疲劳。该设备将通过抵消加压手套施加的力来降低太空服手套的刚度。为此，该系统利用了一组六个柔性致动器，这些致动器使用形状记忆合金（SMA）线作为致动元件。选择 SMA 是因为它们的一些特性，例如体积小、重量轻、力重比高，使得它们在考虑到设备在太空服中使用的限制时成为合适的选择。除了描述组成外骨骼的不同机械和电子子系统外，本文还对外骨骼进行了初步评估；已经进行了几项测试来表征其标称操作，以及位置和力控制测试，以研究其可控性并评估其作为力辅助设备的适用性。
