Drilling Robot Design for Planetary Exploration With Steering Based on Differential Screw Method

The lunar exploratory robot plays a crucial role in the sustainable development of moon base stations through characterization of lunar environmental properties. Current lunar drilling methods are inadequate for directional missions, making it difficult to navigate around subsurface obstacles. In this study, a novel lunar exploratory robot capable of both drilling and steering has designed and validated, using a newly devised method known as the “differential screw”. After building a prototype, the experiments are conducted in glass beads analogizing the locomotion in lunar regolith. The experimental results preliminary affirming the feasibility and reliability of the robot design.