Tetherbot: Step Planning for a Cable-Driven Climbing Robot in Microgravity

In this paper, we present a step planning algorithm for the cable-driven climbing robot called Tetherbot. Tetherbot is a robotic platform suspended via multiple cables from end-effectors connected to holding points in the environment. The platform is equipped with a robotic arm that can pick and place the end-effectors from one holding point to the next. By repeatedly adjusting the pose of the platform by changing the length of the tethers and repositioning the end-effectors with the robotic arm, Tetherbot realizes climbing locomotion. We present a step planning algorithm that computes the sequence of pick and place motions to transition from an initial stance to a goal stance and successfully validate the algorithm with a simulation.