Design of lantern-like soft manipulator with variable stiffness

Abstract Space debris, such as abandoned rocket bodies, defunct satellites, and space rocks, poses an ever-increasing risk to satellites and spacecraft, threatening the long-term security and stability of the space environment. Active debris removal has become a critical task for the spaceflight community. Traditional rigid manipulators for capturing debris are heavy and lack adaptability, often causing unwanted collisions during interactions with fragile objects. This paper presents a novel lantern-like manipulator actuated by smart materials, capable of shape deformation via shape memory alloys and variable stiffness modulation using polycaprolactone (PCL). Experimental results demonstrate the manipulator’s ability to capture non-cooperative targets with irregular shapes, offering a promising solution for compliant active debris removal in future space missions.